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Women's Volleyball
Volleyball Travels to BradleyNov. 7, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format
This Week in Panther Volleyball
Sat., Nov. 8: at Bradley - Markin Family Student Recreation Center - Peoria, Ill. - 7 pm Live Radio (KWLO 1330 AM)
The University of Northern Iowa volleyball team (20-5, 10-3 Missouri Valley Conference) has just one match this week, as it heads to Peoria, Ill., to face Valley travel partner Bradley ( 5-21, 1-12 MVC). With five league matches left, the Panthers stand in second place in the conference standings, one-half game in front of Creighton.
PANTHER QUICK SETS... l UNI won its 20th match of the season Oct. 31 against Southern Illinois. That marks the 11th straight year that the Panthers have won at least 20 matches, and it’s the 22nd time in the past 24 years UNI has claimed at least 20 victories. Five of those seasons the Panthers have won 30 or more matches. l The Panthers racked up 14 blocks against Southern Illinois Oct. 31 and 10 blocks versus Evansville Nov. 1. That marks six straight matches where UNI has reached double-digits in blocks, and they have recorded at least 10 blocks a total of 10 times this year. For the season, the Panthers are averaging 2.70 blocks per set, which ranks 13th in the NCAA. l UNI dropped the first two sets on Oct. 31 at Southern Illinois, but rallied from the 0-2 deficit to post the win over the Salukis. Prior to that, the last time the Panthers dropped the first two sets on the road and came back to win a match was Sept. 23, 2006 at Missouri State. With the win, UNI improved to 2-1 in five-set matches this season. l The Panthers held Southern Illinois to .085 hitting Oct. 31. That’s nothing new for UNI, however, as it has held a total of nine opponents to less than a .100 attack percentage. l Senior middle blocker Ashten Stelken earned third-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VII honors Nov. 6. Stelken has a 3.40 cumulative grade point average in elementary education. l Stelken and sophomore libero Ellie Blankenship each rank among the national leaders in the NCAA’s most recent individual statistics. Stelken is third in the nation in blocks per set at 1.55, while Blankenship is sixth in the country in digs per set at 5.61. l Bradley has been one of the more difficult places for UNI to win in recent years. In fact, since the 2001 season, the Panthers are just 4-4 in matches played in Peoria, Ill. UNI has defeated the Braves each of the last two years on BU’s home court, posting 3-0 sweeps in both 2006 and 2007. SCOUTING THIS WEEKEND’S OPPONENT Bradley is 5-21 overall, 1-12 in The Valley, and has dropped 12 of its last 13 matches. Amy Reichel leads the Braves with 2.70 kills per set, while Melissa Collins averages 2.34 kills per set. UNI holds a 45-9 lead in the all-time series with Bradley, including posting a 3-0 victory (25-11, 25-20, 25-13) Oct. 11 at the McLeodc Center.
RADIO INFORMATION No less than 14 of UNI's volleyball matches, including this Saturday’s tilt with Bradley, will be carried live on KWLO 1330-AM (Star 1330), with Eric Braley and Brad Wells calling the action throughout the season. Star 1330 will carry all of the Panthers' matches from the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference tournament, to be hosted by Wichita State Nov. 27-29. In addition, UNI head coach Bobbi Petersen has a weekly radio show on Star 1330 that airs each Monday starting at 6 pm.
ON THE WEB All of UNI’s home volleyball matches can be viewed and listened to on the World Wide Web by going to www.unipanthers.com. UNI has partnered with Stretch Internet to provide live video and audio streaming of Panther volleyball via “UNI GameDay Online”. In addition to audio and video from all home volleyball matches, this subscription-based service also provides audio coverage of select volleyball road matches, as well as both video and audio of a number of other UNI sports. In addition, all Panther home matches have free live stats courtesy of GameTracker.
QUICK NOTES Sophomore libero Ellie Blankenship had 26 digs against Evansville Nov. 1. On the season, Blankenship has reached at least 20 digs in 12 matches … freshman setter Bre Payton did not start the match against Evansville, but came off the bench and recorded a career-high 45 assists. Payton also had six digs, four kills and three blocks versus the Purple Aces … senior middle blocker Ashten Stelken had had double-digit in kills in four straight matches, and seven of her last nine matches overall. She also has had at least six blocks in six straight matches … senior outside hitter Amy Sampson had her first career double-double against Southern Illinois Oct. 31, with 17 kills and a career-high 13 digs. Sampson had 11 kills the next night at Evansville, and has reached at least 10 kills in six straight matches … sophomore defensive specialist Chelsea Saunders had 11 digs against Southern Illinois, and has reached double-figures in digs in six matches this year … junior outside hitter Shannon Aschoff had double-doubles in both matches last week for the Panthers, with 18 kills and 12 digs versus Southern Illinois; and then 10 kills and 10 digs against Evansville. Aschoff has had three straight double-doubles and a total of five on the season … sophomore setter Jessa Benson came off the bench and recorded 29 assists against Southern Illinois. That was her highest assist total since getting 46 assists at Iowa State Sept. 12 … freshman middle blocker Michelle Burow tied her career high with six blocks at Southern Illinois. Burow had nine kills the next night at Evansville, her most kills since getting a career-high 10 against Liberty Sept. 13 … sophomore outside hitter Beth Discher had eight kills and hit .368 (8-1-19) at Evansville. PANTHERS DIG PINK AGAINST ILLINOIS STATE OCT. 25 The University of Northern Iowa volleyball team took part in the national ‘Dig Pink’ campaign on Saturday, Oct. 25 when the Panthers faced Illinois State at the McLeod Center. Panther athletics and Community National Bank, the official sponsor of UNI volleyball, combined to raise nearly $1,500 on the night, with the money being donated to the Side Out Foundation, an organization which raises funds for breast cancer research.
UNI SETS RALLY-SCORING DIGS RECORD AGAINST WSU... UNI had a season-high 117 digs in its 3-2 loss to Wichita State Oct. 17. That was the most digs the Panthers have ever had in a rally-scoring match (which was implemented in 2001). The total was just short of the overall school record of 125 digs, set on Sept. 1, 1987, against Washington State.
...AND NEARLY BREAKS IT THREE MATCHES LATER Just eight days after that impressive dig total against Wichita State, UNI nearly topped it with another big number, getting 112 digs in its 3-2 win over Illinois State Oct. 25. Several UNI players had career-bests in the five-set win over the Redbirds. Libero Ellie Blankenship had a career-high 38 digs; outside hitter Shannon Aschoff tied her career-high with 20 digs; and setter Bre Payton had a career-best 19 digs.
BLOCK THE ‘BIRDS The Panthers had a season-high 19 total team blocks against Illinois State Oct. 25. Ashten Stelken had a season-high 12 blocks versus the Redbirds, while Bre Payton had a career-high eight blocks. Entering this week’s action, UNI has posted at least 10 blocks in six straight matches.
SAMPSON TOPS 1,000 CAREER KILLS Senior outside hitter Amy Sampson topped 1,000 career kills against Missouri State Oct. 18, joining teammate Ashten Stelken in the 1,000-kill club. Sampson became the 19th UNI player to reach 1,000 kills, and currently ranks 16th on the Panthers’ all-time list with 1,061.
BLANKENSHIP REACHES 1,000 CAREER DIGS Ellie Blankenship became the 11th UNI player to reach 1,000 career digs, against Missouri State Oct. 18. She currently ranks eighth on UNI’s all-time list with 1,118 digs. She is by far the fastest to ever reach 1,000 career digs for the Panthers, as no other player reached 1,000 during their sophomore season. UNI’s career record is 1,570 digs by Stephanie May (2003-06).
STELKEN TOPS 1,000 CAREER KILLS AGAINST CYCLONES Senior middle blocker Ashten Stelken reached 1,000 career kills against Iowa State Sept. 10, becoming the 18th player to top that mark in Panther volleyball history. Stelken just moved into UNI’s top 10 all-time in kills, as she ranks 10th with 1,180 over her four-year career.
BLANKENSHIP HAS DIGS STREAK SNAPPED Sophomore libero Ellie Blankenship had her streak of consecutive matches with double-figure digs snapped on 10/11 against Bradley. Blankenship had seven digs versus the Braves, which ended her run at 51 straight matches of double-digits. That was the first (and only) time in Blankenship’s two-year career that she has not reached at least 10 digs.
BLANKENSHIP SETS SCHOOL RECORD AGAINST SIU Blankenship racked up 27 digs in the Panthers’ 3-0 win over Southern Illinois Oct. 4, which was the most digs ever in a three-set match by a UNI player. Previously, Blankenship was tied with Panthers’ current head coach Bobbi (Becker) Petersen for the most digs in a three-set match, as each had 25. UNI IN TOP 30 IN VOLLEYBALL RPI In the most recent NCAA volleyball RPI, released Oct. 27, UNI was ranked 28th in the nation. UNI has three top 50 wins this year, over Clemson (33), Iowa State (38) and Creighton (44). Three of its losses are to top 20 RPI teams in Saint Louis (10), Kansas State (15), and Wichita State (16).
PANTHERS HIGH UP IN THE NATIONAL STATS As a team, UNI ranks in the top 20 a pair of statistical categories in the most recent NCAA stats, released Nov. 3. UNI is 13th in blocks per set (2.70) and 23rd in digs per set (16.82). Individually, senior middle blocker Ashten Stelken is third in the nation in blocks per set at 1.55, while sophomore libero Ellie Blankenship ranks sixth nationally in digs per set at 5.61.
UNI RECEIVING VOTES IN TOP 25 For the sixth straight week, UNI is receiving points in the AVCA Top 25 coaches poll. The Panthers, who are 20-5 on the season, received three points in the most recent poll. Three of UNI’s five losses are to teams currently in the top 25 -- 11th-ranked Wichita State (3-2), 15th-ranked Kansas State (3-0), and 21st-ranked Saint Louis (3-0).
IN-STATE DOMINANCE With its win over Drake Sept. 19, UNI has now claimed wins in 37 of the last 41 matches it has played against the other three Division I universities in the state of Iowa. All-time, against the state’s other three DI schools, the Panthers are a combined 118-55-2; UNI has compiled a record of 26-22 against Iowa, 31-21 against Iowa State and 61-12-2 against Drake. Since 1997, the Panthers are 24-0 against Drake, 6-1 against Iowa, and 8-3 against ISU. In nine years as the Panthers’ head coach, Bobbi Petersen has posted a 25-4 cumulative mark against Iowa, Iowa State and Drake.
23 STRAIGHT TO OPEN LEAGUE PLAY With the 3-1 victory against Drake Sept. 19, UNI extended its streak of winning its conference opener to 23 straight seasons. The last time the Panthers dropped their opening conference match was on Oct. 18, 1985 when Southern Illinois posted a 3-2 win over UNI (15-11, 14-16, 14-16, 15-5, 15-13). That was also the last time SIU defeated UNI in Cedar Falls.
A DEFENSIVE PRESENCE Sophomore libero Ellie Blankenship had an impressive freshman year for the Panthers, as she set UNI numerous school records -- including most digs in a season (624) and digs per set (5.43). Well, she has made her 2008 season even better, as she ranks sixth nationally in digs per set at 5.61. She had a career-high 38 digs against Illinois State Oct. 24, and has reached double-digits in digs in 24 of 25 matches this year. She reached double-figures in digs in her first 18 matches this season, and had her string of 51 straight matches of at least 10 digs snapped against Bradley Oct. 11. That match against Bradley (when she got seven digs in the 3-0 sweep of the Braves) is the only time in two seasons that Blankenship has not gotten at least 10 digs. Blankenship’s 51-match streak was the third-best active streak in the country at the time it was broken, and it stands as the 12th-best all-time streak in NCAA history.
BIG HITTERS The Panthers have hit better than .320 as a team in seven matches this season, including hitting .402 (40-5-87) against Bradley Oct. 11. UNI has been held below .250 hitting as a team just nine times this season. The Panthers recorded a season-best .434 hitting percentage (41-8-76) in their season-opening win over North Florida, with a miniscule eight hitting errors. UNI had a season-best 59 kills against Drake Sept. 19 in its Missouri Valley Conference opener, and tied that total against Illinois State Oct. 25. TOUGH DEFENSE UNI has kept the opposition below .200 hitting in 19 matches this season, including holding its opponent to less than .150 hitting 15 times. At the Varney’s KSU Invitational Sept. 12-13, UNI forced previously undefeated Liberty into 26 hitting errors in the three-set Panthers sweep, while forcing Iowa State into 34 hitting errors in the four-set UNI win on Sept. 10. UNI held 14th-ranked Wichita State to a season-low .080 hitting Oct. 17, forcing 44 Shocker hitting errors. The Panthers have forced 13 of their last 15 opponents into at least 20 attack errors, with three of those teams topping 30.
SIXTEEN STRAIGHT TO START THE YEAR The Panthers dropped their first set of the season against Clemson on Sept. 6. UNI won its first five matches of the year by perfect 3-0 sweeps, and won the first set against Clemson, for a string of 16 set victories. That is the most sets won in a row to start the season by UNI since the 1986 campaign, when the Panthers won their first 25 sets of the year.
SAUNDERS HAS CAREER-BEST AGAINST WSU Sophomore defensive specialist Chelsea Saunders had a career-high 22 digs against Wichita State Oct. 17. Saunders, who averages 2.18 digs per set on the season, has reached double-figures in digs six times this season, and has had eight or more digs 12 times.
BENSON STEPS UP Sophomore setter Jessa Benson started two of three matches at the UNI Invitational Sept. 5-6. Benson had 36 assists against Northern Illinois and a career-best 47 assists against Clemson, and also had her first career double-double with a career-best 14 digs against the Tigers. Benson also racked up a career-high five service aces against Clemson, including three straight during a key stretch that helped UNI clinch the match.
DOUBLE TIME Shannon Aschoff had her first double-double of the season with 16 kills and a then career-high 17 digs in the championship match of the UNI Invitational against Clemson Sept. 6. She had another double-double in the Panthers’ next match, Sept. 10 at Iowa State, when she racked up 11 kills and 15 digs, and nearly had a triple-double versus the Cyclones, adding eight blocks. Aschoff has had double-figures in kills in 17 matches this season.
IT STARTS WITH THE SERVE The Panthers service game was outstanding over the three matches at the FAU Invitational Aug. 29-30. UNI recorded 18 service aces for the weekend (2.00 aces per set), but only allowed five service aces against it over the three matches (0.56 reception errors per set).
SPLITTING TIME AT SETTER With the graduation of three-year starter Kristin Belzung, the Panthers are breaking in a new setter this year. Two players have seen significant playing time this season, in redshirt freshman Bre Payton and redshirt sophomore Jessa Benson. Payton has played in 63 sets this year and is averaging 9.98 assists and 2.38 digs per set, while Benson has played in 31 sets and is averaging 9.42 assists and 1.58 digs per set.
STELKEN NAMED MVC SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK TWICE Senior co-captain Ashten Stelken was named the Prairie Farms/Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Week on both Sept. 17 and Oct. 28. Stelken, a 6-3 middle blocker from Manchester, Iowa, Stelken has a 3.40 cumulative GPA in elementary education.
STELKEN NAMED MVC PLAYER OF THE WEEK OCT. 27 Senior middle blocker Ashten Stelken was named State Farm MVC Player of the Week Oct. 27. Stelken averaged 3.75 kills and 2.25 blocks per set, while hitting .356 (30-4-73), in two UNI victories. She had a season-high 16 kills and added six blocks against Indiana State Oct. 24, and then followed that up with 14 kills and a season-best 12 blocks the next night in a 3-2 win over Illinois State.
BLANKENSHIP EARNS MVC DEFENSIVE POTW HONORS OCT. 27 Sophomore libero Ellie Blankenship was named State Farm MVC Defensive Player of the Week Oct. 27. She had a career-high 38 digs in UNI’s 3-2 win over Illinois State Oct. 25, one night after racking up 25 digs in a three-set sweep of Indiana State. Blankenship averaged an impressive 7.88 digs per set over the two matches, well above her season-average of 5.70 digs per set.
PAYTON NAMED MVC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK SEPT. 22 Freshman setter Bre Payton was named the MVC Freshman of the Week Sept. 22. Payton averaged 11.57 assists per set, helping lead the Panthers to a pair of MVC victories. After UNI dropped the opening set to Drake Sept. 19, Payton came off the bench and led UNI to wins in three straight sets. She had a double-double with career-bests in both assists (43) and digs (13). The next night against Creighton, Payton had 38 assists, five kills eight digs and three block assists in the 3-1 victory over the Bluejays.
STELKEN NAMED MVC DEFENSIVE POTW SEPT. 15 Senior middle blocker Ashten Stelken was named State Farm MVC Defensive Player of the Week Sept. 15. Stelken averaged 2.08 blocks per set over four matches as the Panthers went 3-1. She registered a double-double with 13 kills and a season-high 10 blocks at Iowa State Sept. 10, while tallying six blocks against No. 19 Kansas State on Sept. 12. Stelken recorded seven blocks versus Liberty on Sept. 13 and added another four blocks against Cornell on Sept. 13.
BUROW NAMED MVC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK SEPT. 15 Middle blocker Michelle Burow was named State Farm MVC Freshman of the Week Sept. 15. She averaged 2.62 kills and 0.77 blocks per set in four matches, while posting a team-best .448 hitting percentage (34-4-67). Burow compiled nine kills and four blocks against Iowa State in UNI’s 3-1 win on Sept. 10 and registered seven kills at No. 19 Kansas State on Sept. 12. Burow recorded a career-high 10 kills versus Liberty on Sept. 13, and added eight kills against Cornell. Burow hit better than .500 in two of the four matches.
BLANKENSHIP NAMED MVC DEFENSIVE POTW SEPT. 8 Sophomore libero Ellie Blankenship was named State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week Sept. 8. Blankenship had another stellar weekend in the back row for the Panthers, and was named to the UNI Invitational All-Tournament team for her efforts. She registered 14 digs against Northern Illinois, 22 digs against Marquette, and a season-high 25 digs against Clemson. Blankenship averaged 6.10 digs per set in the three weekend matches, anchoring the Panther backline on their way to the UNI Invitational title.
ASCHOFF NAMED MVC PLAYER OF THE WEEK SEPT. 2 Junior outside hitter Shannon Aschoff was named the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week Sept. 2. Aschoff was named Most Valuable Player of the FAU Invitational, leading the Panthers to a perfect 3-0 record, sweeping each of its opponents. She had a 11 digs against Bethune-Cookman, and a career-high 19 kills in the championship match versus Florida Atlantic. Aschoff averaged 4.56 kills, 2.11 digs and 5.17 points per set, while hitting an impressive .507 (41-7-67) over the three matches. ASCHOFF, STELKEN EARN KSU ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS Both Shannon Aschoff and Ashten Stelken were named to the Varney’s KSU All-Tournament team, Sept. 12-13. Aschoff averaged 3.92 kills, 1.62 blocks and 2.31 digs per set over the three matches, getting double-digit kills in all three matches. She had 17 kills against Cornell, which was just two shy of her season best total. Stelken averaged 3.15 kills and 2.08 blocks per set, racking up 13 kills in UNI’s sweep of Cornell, tying her season-high kill total.
THREE PLAYERS EARN UNI INVITATIONAL HONORS Three Panther players were named to the UNI Invitational all-tournament team Sept. 5-6. Amy Sampson earned Most Valuable Player honors, after averaging 4.40 kills per set, racking up 18 kills in two of the three matches. Also earning all-tournament honors were middle blocker Ashten Stelken who averaged 3.60 kills and 1.10 blocks per set, while hitting an impressive .431 (36-8-65), and libero Ellie Blankenship who averaged 6.10 digs per set.
TWO PANTHERS NAMED TO FAU INVITE ALL-TOURNEY TEAM Senior middle blocker Ashten Stelken joined tournament Most Valuable Player Shannon Aschoff on the FAU Invitational All-Tournament Team Aug. 29-30. Aschoff averaged 4.56 kills and 2.11 digs per set, while hitting .507 for the weekend. Stelken averaged 3.75 kills and 1.00 blocks per set for the tournament, while hitting a team-best .556 over the three matches.
PANTHERS 24th IN NATION IN ATTENDANCE Over the years, UNI volleyball has annually ranked among the nation’s leaders in attendance, and once again this year, the Panthers are in the top 30 nationally. UNI currently ranks 24th in the NCAA, averaging 1,339 fans per match after 12 home dates, including a high mark of 1,752 that saw the Panthers defeat Drake on Sept. 19.
UNI PICKED SECOND IN MVC PRESEASON POLL 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). UNI returns four starters from last year’s club that finished 22-11 overall, 14-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference, and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the eighth time in the last 10 years. Both Ashten Stelken and Shannon Aschoff were preseason all-conference selections.
20 WINS AGAIN UNI has posted 20 victories this season, which marks the 11th straight season the Panthers have won at least 20 matches. In fact, UNI has recorded at least 20 wins in 22 of the past 24 years, with 11 of those seasons garnering at least 28 victories, and five of them racking up 30 or more wins. The Panthers have made three trips to the NCAA Sweet 16 since 1999, with eight NCAA appearances in the past 10 seasons.
A WINNING TRADITION 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 841-290-22 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.
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 have won their NCAA first round match six of the last seven times making 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 in their history.
UNI TIES MVC RECORD WITH 40-POINT SET AGAINST DRAKE The 40-38 win by the Panthers in set one at Drake on Oct. 19, 2007, was the highest-scoring set in UNI history, and also tied a Missouri Valley Conference record for points scored in a set. The Panthers previous high scoring set was 36, in a 38-36 loss to Clemson on Aug. 26, 2006. The 40 points tallied by UNI also was the 13th best total by a winning team in NCAA history, since rally scoring was implemented in 2001.
AN UNHAPPY FIRST Last year when Creighton visited the McLeod Center (Sept. 21, 2007), the Bluejays accomplished something no team had ever done before on the Panthers’ home court -- win a match after dropping the first two sets. UNI jumped out to a 2-0 lead against Creighton, but the Bluejays were able to rally for the 3-2 victory (25-30, 24-30, 31-29, 30-26, 15-12). In addition, that match marked the first time since 1996 that the Panthers had dropped any match after leading two sets to none.
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.
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