FAYETTE, Iowa – Winona State University plays the first of three road matches this week at Upper Iowa University on Tuesday night. First serve between the Warriors and Peacocks is slated for 6 p.m.
Winona State (9-10, 6-5 NSIC) has won six of its last eight matches and enters the midweek match tied for eighth in the conference standings with Minnesota State Mankato. The Warriors currently hold a one game lead for the final playoff spot over Upper Iowa.
WSU had its season-best five-match winning streak snapped on Saturday in a hard-fought five set loss to No. 2 Northern State. Freshman Cori Meyers led the way with 16 kills in the setback while recording 14 digs for her sixth double-double of the year.
Senior Taylor Goar moved into a fifth-place tie on the all-time kills list over the weekend and enters Tuesday's match at Upper Iowa with 1,185 in her career. Goar also ranks 10th in program history in service aces (116) and 12th in career digs (1,215).
Offensively, the Warriors are trending in the right direction over the past month and enter Tuesday with a .206 team attacking percentage, hitting over .250 in three of their last four outings. Bre Maloney has guided the offense with 10.01 assists/set which ranks ninth in the NSIC. Maloney set new career highs on back-to-back nights last weekend with 54 and 55, respectively.
Defensively, Sophie Wilker leads the team in total blocks (72) and ranks third in the conference in blocks/set (1.09). Freshman Madison Rizner is second on the team in blocks (58). Sophmore libero Becca Pagel has a team-best 280 digs and ranks 11th in the NSIC in digs/set (3.94).
This weekend, the Warriors travel to No. 7 Minnesota Duluth on Friday and St. Cloud State on Saturday. The matchup with the Duluth Bulldogs will be Winona State's fourth against a nationally-ranked opponent in the past month. WSU has won two of the last three such matchups.
Scouting Upper Iowa
The Peacocks (12-7, 5-6 NSIC) have won four of their last five matches and are coming off a Saturday sweep of MSU Moorhead. Upper Iowa defeated Winona State earlier this season, 3-1. WSU had won five straight over the Peacocks prior to that loss.
Upper Iowa ranks just ahead of Winona State in team hitting percentage (.207). Defensively, the Peacocks are limiting opponents to a .155 clip which is fourth-best in the NSIC. The Peacocks rank seventh in the league in blocks/set (1.89) while WSU ranks fifth (2.15). Upper Iowa leads the NSIC in digs/set (19.65).
Anna Winter ranks eighth in the conference in kills/set (3.58). Malissa LeClaire is third in service aces (30). Haley Weepie ranks eighth in digs/set (4.37).
