Now is as good of time as any to take stock of just how good UNI’s volleyball team is this year ——— not just in the Missouri Valley, but nationally as well.

All of the following statistics and facts come from the NCAA website and are up to date as of Oct. 10, 2016.

To get an idea of how UNI as a team compares to the rest of the country, look no further than the RPI. The RPI looks at a team’s record and factors in the strength of schedule.

UNI is currently 64th in the nation. There are only two Valley teams ahead of them: Southern Illinois (50) and Wichita State (40).

Statistically, UNI is nationally impressive in quite a few other important categories. The Panthers are fifth in team digs, eighth in team kills, 19th in team total attack and 16th in team assists.

When you break the stats down per set it gets better. UNI is 23rd in assists per set with 13.19 and sixth in kills per set with 14.54.

At the position that really matters though, UNI is first in digs per set (18.79) and team attacks per set (39.86). This means UNI makes and denies scoring opportunities like no one else in the country.

Carrying the defense is sophomore Libero Kendyl Sorge, who received her third MVC defensive player of the week award of the year. Sorge is 15th in both digs per set (5.19) and total digs (374).

On offense junior Heather Hook is 14th in assists per set (11.28) and fourth in total (812). Both of these talented Panthers should return next year to help continue UNI’s dominance. As the season continues be on the lookout for Panthers to be making headlines.