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Women's Volleyball
Volleyball Faces Iowa State on Friday in NCAA First Round
Dec. 2, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format
NCAA Volleyball Championship First and Second Rounds Sports Pavilion -- Minneapolis, Minn.
Fri., Dec. 5: UNI (25-8) vs. Iowa State (19-12) -- 5 pm Live Radio (KWLO 1330 AM) Live Audio Stream (UNIPanthers.com)
The University of Northern Iowa volleyball team heads to Minneapolis, Minn., to face intrastate rival Iowa State on Friday in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Volleyball Championship, at the Sports Pavilion on the campus of the University of Minnesota. North Dakota State and 10th-ranked Minnesota meet in the other first-round match, with the two winning teams meeting in the second round on Saturday at 7 pm. PANTHER QUICK SETS... l This is UNI’s third consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament, and 14th appearance in the program’s history. The Panthers have an overall NCAA tournament record of 11-13. UNI has won its first round match six of the last seven times it has made the tournament (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2006), advancing to the Sweet 16 in 1999, 2001 and 2002. The Panthers have lost their first round NCAA match just five times. l This is UNI’s first-ever at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. In each of the previous 13 times the Panthers have advanced to postseason play, they won the Missouri Valley Conference postseason tournament, earning the league’s automatic bid. UNI lost to Missouri State in the conference tournament final, but was still one of three teams from The Valley to make the NCAA field, joining MSU and Wichita State. l Since making its first NCAA tournament appearance in 1986, the Panthers have failed to make the NCAA tournament field just nine times. Three of those years UNI was selected to play in the now defunct National Invitational Volleyball Classic (NIVC), meaning that only six times in the last 23 years have the Panthers failed to make some sort of postseason play. l UNI won its 20th match of the season against Southern Illinois Oct. 31, and enters the NCAA tournament with 25 wins. That marks the 11th straight year that the Panthers have won at least 20 matches, with UNI having claimed at least 20 victories in 22 of the past 24 seasons. Five of those seasons, the Panthers have won 30 or more matches, including three times in the last 10 years (1999, 2001 and 2002). RADIO INFORMATION No less than 14 of UNI's volleyball matches, including all matches from this week’s NCAA tournament, will be carried live on KWLO 1330-AM (Star 1330), with Eric Braley and Jay Grassley calling the action. In addition, UNI head coach Bobbi Petersen has a weekly radio show on Star 1330 that airs each Monday starting at 6 pm.
SCOUTING IOWA STATE Iowa State is 19-12 overall and finished 11-9 in the Big 12 Conference. Victoria Henson leads the Cyclones offensively, averaging 4.09 kills per set, while Jen Malcolm averages 2.85 kills and 1.13 blocks per set and is hitting an impressive .372 on the season. ISU setter Kaylee Manns is averaging 11.71 assists per set.
ALL-TIME AGAINST THE CYCLONES UNI holds a 31-21 lead in the all-time series with Iowa State, including posting a 3-1 win Sept. 10 in Ames (22-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-19). The Panthers have won 14 of the past 17 matches played between the two schools dating back to 1992. UNI and Iowa State have never met in the NCAA tournament.
SIX PANTHERS EARN ALL-MVC HONORS Senior outside hitter Amy Sampson and senior middle blocker Ashten Stelken were each named 2008 first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference, in voting by the league’s head coaches. Junior outside hitter Shannon Aschoff and sophomore libero Ellie Blankenship were named second-team All-MVC, while setter Bre Payton and middle blocker Michelle Burow were named to the Missouri Valley Conference all-freshman team.
TWO PANTHERS NAMED ALL-MVC TOURNAMENT Ashten Stelken and Amy Sampson were named to the 2008 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference All-Tournament Team. Sampson averaged 4.50 kills per set over UNI’s three matches, while hitting .265, including recording a career-high 27 kills in the semifinal win over Creighton. Stelken averaged 4.17 kills and 1.08 blocks per set, while hitting .369, over the three matches, tying her career-best with 22 kills against Creighton.
STELKEN EARNS ACADEMIC ALL-MVC HONORS Senior middle blocker Ashten Stelken was honored by being named to the 2008 Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete First Team. Stelken, who was also a first-team MVC scholar-athlete in 2007, holds a 3.40 grade point average in elementary education. She averages 3.13 kills per set, and ranks eighth nationally with 1.44 blocks per set.
BACK TO MINNEAPOLIS This is the second time that UNI has been sent to Minneapolis for the NCAA tournament. In 2003 at the Sports Pavilion, the 16th-ranked Panthers defeated 20th-ranked UC Santa Barbara, 3-2 (30-27, 30-27, 24-30, 26-30, 16-14) in the first round, before falling to #17 Minnesota, 3-1 (25-30, 30-28, 25-30, 23-30) in the second round. 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. 30. UNI is 17th in blocks per set (2.64) and 27th in digs per set (16.70). Individually, senior middle blocker Ashten Stelken is eighth in the nation in blocks per set at 1.44, while sophomore libero Ellie Blankenship ranks seventh nationally in digs per set at 5.58.
IN-STATE DOMINANCE With its win over Drake Nov. 20, UNI has now claimed wins in 38 of the last 42 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 119-55-2; UNI has compiled a record of 26-22 against Iowa, 31-21 against Iowa State and 62-12-2 against Drake. Since 1997, the Panthers are 25-0 against Drake, 6-1 against Iowa, and 8-3 against ISU. Head coach Bobbi Petersen has posted a 26-4 cumulative mark against Iowa, Iowa State and Drake.
SAMPSON, STELKEN HAVE CAREER NIGHTS AGAINST CREIGHTON Seniors Amy Sampson and Ashten Stelken carried UNI to its thrilling 3-2 win (25-20, 26-24, 18-25, 25-27, 15-8) over Creighton in the semifinals of last week’s State Farm MVC Tournament. Sampson had a career-high 27 kills, while taking an incredible 77 swings, in the five-set victory, and also tied her season-best with six blocks. Stelken tied her career-best with 22 kills versus the Bluejays, and hit an impressive .366 (22-7-41).
SEEING 20-20 Sampson and Stelken, with 27 and 22 kills, respectively, against Creighton Nov. 28, became the first UNI teammates to each have 20 or more kills in the same match since Stelken (22) and Laura Rowen (20) did it on Oct. 6, 2007 against Illinois State.
BENSON HAS CAREER-BEST ASSIST EFFORT VERSUS CU Sophomore setter Jessa Benson had the best night of her career versus Creighton Nov. 28 in the semifinals of the State Farm MVC Tournament. She recorded 60 assists, a career-best, and led UNI’s offense to a season-high 72 kills in the five-set victory over Creighton.
BLANKENSHIP BREAKS OWN DIGS RECORDS 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 has broken both those marks, with 653 digs and 5.58 digs per set. She ranks seventh nationally in digs per set at 5.58. She had a career-high 38 digs against Illinois State Oct. 24, and has reached double-digits in digs in 32 of 33 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 she has not gotten at least 10 digs. Blankenship’s 51-match streak stands as the 12th-best streak in NCAA history.
BIG CROWD VERSUS WSU The Panthers drew a season-best 2,015 fans to its match against 11th-ranked Wichita State Nov. 15. UNI has topped 1,000 fans for each home match this season, and ranks in the top 25 nationally with an average of 1,405 fans per home contest.
PANTHERS ADD THREE FOR 2009 UNI added three players in the fall signing period which ended Nov. 19. Joining the Panthers in 2009 will be 5-11 outside hitter Amy Braun (Lakeville, Minn.), 6-1 middle blocker Shelby Kintzel (Mount Vernon, Iowa), and 5-10 setter Molly Turk (Elgin, Ill.). Braun was named a 2008-09 Under Armour Second Team All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. BLOCK PARTY The Panthers had 15 total team blocks against Bradley Nov. 8, which marked the seventh straight match UNI reached double-figures in blocks. UNI, which ranks 17th in the nation in blocks per set at 2.64, has been averaging an impressive 2.95 blocks per set over its last 14 matches.
ANOTHER SOLID DEFENSIVE EFFORT UNI forced Bradley into 30 hitting errors in its 3-1 win over the Braves Nov. 8, while holding BU to just .133 hitting (48-30-135). That marked the fifth time this season the Panthers’ opposition has recorded 30 or more hitting errors in a match. UNI has forced its opponent into at least 20 hitting errors in 16 of its last 23 matches.
STELKEN CLIMBS CAREER BLOCKS LIST Against Missouri State Nov. 14, senior middle blocker Ashten Stelken moved into a third place on UNI’s all-time total blocks list. Stelken now has 576 career blocks, having moved past Holly VanHofwegen (550, 1996-99) for third on the Panthers career chart.
BIG COMEBACK AGAINST THE SALUKIS 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. UNI is now 3-1 in five-set matches this season, after its 3-2 victory over Creighton in the State Farm MVC Tournament.
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. UNI has posted at least 10 blocks in nine of its last 14 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 is 11th on the Panthers’ all-time list with 1,165.
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 fifth on UNI’s all-time list with 1,277 digs. She is by far the fastest to ever reach 1,000 career digs for the Panthers, as no other player has 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 seventh with 1,291 over her four-year career.
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.
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.
BIG HITTERS The Panthers have hit better than .320 as a team in nine matches this season, including hitting .402 (40-5-87) against Bradley Oct. 11. UNI has been held below .250 hitting as a team just 12 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 72 kills against Creighton Nov. 28 in the semifinals of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
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 2.27 digs per set on the season, has reached double-figures in digs nine times this season, including getting 15 against Creighton in the semifinals of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. Saunders, who has played in all but one set this year, has had eight or more digs in 17 matches this season.
TOUGH DEFENSE UNI has kept the opposition below .200 hitting in 24 matches this season, including holding its opponent to less than .150 hitting 19 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 17 of their last 22 opponents into at least 20 attack errors, with four of those teams topping 30 errors. 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 then career-bests in assists (47) and digs (14) against Clemson for her first career double-double. Benson also had a career-high five service aces against the Tigers, 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 20 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 82 sets this year and is averaging 9.84 assists and 2.30 digs per set, while Benson has played in 43 sets and is averaging 9.49 assists and 1.70 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 Missouri Valley Conference 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.
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.
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 846-293-22 since the origin of the program in 1975. The Panthers have posted 20 or more wins 11 straight seasons, and 22 of the last 24 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 six schools to have never posted a losing campaign. The other five are Hawai’i, Nebraska, Penn State, Stanford and UCLA.
AN NCAA REGULAR This year is UNI’s 14th appearance in the NCAA tournament. The Panthers have made the NCAA tourney three straight years and nine of the last 11 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.
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