UNI volleyball aiming for Valley title, repeat NCAA tournament bid

CEDAR FALLS — Despite the graduation of five seniors from last season's NCAA tournament team, Northern Iowa head volleyball coach Bobbi Petersen is confident the 2017 Panthers have what it takes to make a return to trip.

With three starters and their libero back Petersen acknowledged during media day Wednesday that finding this team's identity is still a work in progress with only nine days remaining before their season-opener against No. 19 Missouri in Clarksville, Tenn. However, Petersen added the effort put in during their offseason, along with what she's seen during preseason workouts has her confident.

'Our kids worked really hard (this offseason) to make changes, both physically, mentally, skill-wise,' Petersen said.

'Preseason is a grind. There's nothing else going on. There's no escape from volleyball. They're trying to learn about themselves, they're trying to learn about the team, and they've been working really hard to try and find what the makeup of our team is going to be this year.'

Fifth-year senior setter Heather Hook will play a key role in this Panther volleyball team finding its identity.

'We have asked a lot of Heather in terms of leadership,' Petersen said. 'She is a kid that it's definitely out of her comfort zone, some of the things we want from her as a leader — and I'm so proud of her willingness to work at that — and really try to be what her team needs from her this year as a leader.'

The Missouri Valley Conference released its preseason poll and team just hours before Petersen took to the podium with the Panthers picked to finish second. The conference had three teams qualify for the 2016 tournament, and 66 percent of its starters return in 2017.

'The rankings came out today, obviously we were picked second, but our goal is to win a championship,' Petersen said. 'Missouri State is the league favorite, and definitely on paper they should be.'

Bri Weber was the Panthers lone representative on the All-MVC preseason team, and with there being only one senior in Hook on the 2017 squad, the returning kills leader will also be looked to as a leader.

'I'm comfortable with (being a leader) because of the people that are on our team right now,' Weber said. 'Because they make it very easy to be in that leadership role. To (speak) up and hold each other accountable.

'We don't really have one, or two leaders even, I would say it's as a whole we're all leaders. We didn't want it to be just the upperclassmen (leading), we wanted it to be everyone.'

There are a lot of new Panthers vying for vacant starting spots, and spots in the rotation. Petersen mentioned there's a good amount of versatility with their pins, but also said they're still evaluating their young talent to know who can best keep them disciplined and in-system.

'We are a very disciplined team. Sometimes that can get tough,' Petersen said. 'And we have a few kids that last year didn't buy into that one bit. And those kids, to me right now, are the leaders of doing it right. It was refreshing. I really did not expect that at all.'

One of those kids Petersen was referencing was outside hitter Karlie Taylor. A year ago on media day, Petersen said the then-freshman had probably the heaviest arm on the team, leaving Panthers fans dreaming of the potential of the Eddyville product.

With just over a week before another extremely difficult non-conference schedule begins Petersen may not yet know her starting lineup, or have the feel she'd like to have right now for her rotation, but she does know what's at the top of the practice agenda in the meantime.

'Ball control in general,' Petersen said. 'Because we have been a very high level ball control team for a lot of years now. We're missing some pieces of that, but the cool thing is over the last week we have gotten a lot better.'