Aug. 26, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
This Week in Panther Volleyball
FAU Invitational -- FAU Gymnasium -- Boca Raton, Fla.
Live Stats: www.fausports.com
Fri., Aug. 29: UNI vs. North Florida, 4 pm
Sat., Aug. 30: UNI vs. Bethune-Cookman, 1 pm
UNI at Florida Atlantic, 6 pm
The 34th season of University of Northern Iowa volleyball gets underway this weekend, as the Panthers travel to the FAU Invitational in Boca Raton, Fla. UNI plays North Florida to open the tournament on Friday afternoon, and then faces both Bethune-Cookman and host Florida Atlantic on Saturday.
PANTHER QUICK SETS...
- The Panthers were picked to finish second in the MVC preseason poll of the league's head coaches. UNI received a pair of first-place votes and 84 total points, to finish behind only preseason favorite Wichita State (four first place votes, 91 points). Both Ashten Stelken and Shannon Aschoff were preseason all-conference selections.
- Panther head coach Bobbi Petersen, starting her ninth season at the helm of the UNI volleyball program, has a 203-61 record during her tenure. Her .769 career winning percentage ranks her 10th among active Division I volleyball coaches. Petersen has claimed at least 20 wins in seven of her eight seasons as a head coach, while claiming five Missouri Valley Conference titles with five NCAA tournament appearances. She was the 2006 MVC Coach of the Year, and the 2002 AVCA National Coach of the Year.
- UNI posted 22 victories last season, which marked the 10th straight season the Panthers have won at least 20 matches. In fact, UNI has recorded at least 20 wins in 21 of the past 23 years, with 11 of those seasons garnering at least 28 victories.
- UNI ranked sixth in the NCAA in blocking in 2007, averaging 3.35 blocks per set as a team. The Panthers have ranked in the top 15 nationally each of the past five seasons in blocks per set. Senior Ashten Stelken ranked 11th in the NCAA in individual blocking last year, averaging 1.58 bps.
- A conference-record four Missouri Valley Conference teams qualified for the 2007 NCAA Tournament. In addition to the tournament champion Panthers, Wichita State, Missouri State and Illinois State each received at-large bids.
SCOUTING THIS WEEKEND'S OPPONENTS
North Florida was 18-15 a year ago, and plays in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Based out of Jacksonville, Fla., the Ospreys return two starters from their 2007 team. This is the first meeting between UNI and North Florida in volleyball ... Bethune-Cookman has five starters back from last year's team that finished 8-16 overall, 3-6 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. This is the first meeting between UNI and BCU in volleyball ... Florida Atlantic was 6-21 in 2007, 3-14 in the Sun Belt Conference, but the Owls return nine letterwinners and all six starters from last year's team. This is the first meeting between UNI and FAU on the volleyball court.
RADIO INFORMATION
No less than 14 of UNI's volleyball matches will be carried live on KWLO 1330-AM (Star 1330), with Eric Braley and Brad Wells calling the action throughout the season. In addition to the regular-season schedule, Star 1330 will also carry all of the Panthers' matches from the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference tournament, to be hosted by Wichita State Nov. 27-29.
ANCHORING THE MIDDLE
Senior middle blocker Ashten Stelken returns as one of the Missouri Valley Conference's top players. Stelken, a first-team All-MVC pick in 2007 and preseason all-league selection this year, led UNI in kills (3.57 kps), hitting percentage (.351) and blocks (1.58 bps). She had a career-best 22 kills at Illinois State 10/6/07, and also had two double-doubles (kills-blocks) last season.
BIG HITTER
The powerful right arm of senior outside hitter Amy Sampson is back for one more go-around this season. Sampson averaged 3.20 kills per set a year ago, second-best on the team. She had 18 matches of double-digit kills, including six of her last seven outings. Sampson posted a career-best 20 kills against Evansville on 10/13/07.
MVP PERFORMANCE
Junior outside hitter Shannon Aschoff was named the 2007 State Farm MVC Tournament Most Valuable Player, after recording 26 kills with just four hitting errors over the two matches. She also had her first career double-double with 15 kills and 12 blocks against Creighton in the semifinals. Aschoff hit better than .400 in three of her last four matches of last season.
DIG IT
Sophomore libero Ellie Blankenship tied one UNI record and set another in the span of one week last season. She had 25 digs against Western Illinois Oct. 9, which equaled the most digs by a Panther player in a three-set match (UNI head coach Bobbi Becker Petersen also had 25 digs against Eastern Illinois on 10/30/87). Then, against Evansville Oct. 13, Blankenship recorded 31 digs, the most ever by a UNI player in a four-set match (the previous mark was 29 by several players, most recently Stephanie May on 9/13/06 against Minnesota). Blankenship, who was named to the 2007 MVC All-Freshman Team, averaged a UNI record 5.43 digs per set last season, and also set a new UNI single-season record for total digs with 624.
NEW ON THE COURT
With the graduation of three-year starting setter Kristin Belzung, sophomore Jessa Benson and redshirt freshman Bre Payton are vying for the starting setter's position. Both Benson and Payton are expected to see court time early in the season as both have played well during preseason practice. In addition, three players -- sophomore Sarah Oexmann, redshirt freshman Michelle Burow and true freshman Krista DeGeest -- are competing for the second starting middle position, after the graduation of four-year starter (and UNI career blocks leader) Danielle Brazda. All three are in the mix for court time early in the year. On the outside, after the graduation of three-year starter Laura Rowen, sophomore Beth Discher will get the starting nod. A tremendous leaper, Discher saw action in 22 games in a reserve role a year ago for the Panthers.
KARSTEN OUT FOR THE YEAR
UNI sophomore outside hitter Kali Karsten, expected to compete for court time this season, has been lost for the year after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her knee during preseason practice. Karsten appeared in five games as a redshirt freshman in 2007.
AN NCAA REGULAR
Last year was UNI's 13th appearance in the NCAA tournament. The Panthers have made the NCAA tourney two straight years and eight of the last 10 seasons, and has won its NCAA first round match six of the last seven times it has made the tournament, including advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 1999, 2001 and 2002. The Panthers have lost their NCAA first round match just five times
PANTHERS 13TH IN NATION IN ATTENDANCE IN 2007
Over the years, UNI volleyball has annually ranked among the nation's leaders in attendance, and once again last year, the Panthers were in the nation's top 20. UNI averaged 1,864 fans per home match, which ranked it 13th nationally. In fact, the 5,124 fans that attended the UNI-Iowa State match at the McLeod Center Sept. 5 was the 40th largest volleyball crowd in the nation in 2007.
UNI WINS 800TH MATCH IN SCHOOL HISTORY
UNI picked up the 800th win in the history of the program against Western Michigan on Friday, Aug. 24, 2007. Currently, the Panthers rank 16th on the list of all-time winningest volleyball programs, with a record of 821-285-22 since the origin of the program in 1975. The Panthers have posted 20 or more wins 10 straight seasons, and 21 of the last 23 years overall - with five seasons of 30 or more wins during that span. In addition, since the NCAA began sponsoring women's volleyball in the 1981 season, UNI is one of just seven schools to have never posted a losing campaign. The other six are Hawai'i, Nebraska, Pacific, Penn State, Stanford and UCLA.
