UNI Volleyball Camps
Head Coach Bobbi Petersen
When thinking about the tradition-filled history of UNI volleyball, few names jump out like Bobbi Petersen's. A former standout on the court for UNI - and arguably the greatest player in the school's history - she has continued her connection with the Purple and Old Gold as both an assistant coach, and as head coach. Under her guidance, she has taken UNI volleyball from its usual standard of excellence to a tier with the nation's elite programs.
Now in her 11th year as the Panthers head coach, Petersen has posted an impressive 259-73 record at the helm of UNI's program, with three Missouri Valley Conference regular season titles, five MVC tournament crowns and two NCAA Sweet 16 appearances www.parissportifsensuisse.com to her credit. She ranks in the top 10 of active Division I coaches in winning percentage (.780), with the Panthers winning 20 or more matches nine of her ten years as head coach.
During her tenure as head coach, Petersen has helped 27 student-athletes earn first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors, including coaching four conference players of the year. She has also placed at least one student-athlete on the league's all-freshman team each of the past six years. In addition, she has helped six athletes earn AVCA All-District honors, with Molly O'Brien earning third team AVCA All-America honors in 2002 and Bre Payton and Ellie Blankenship earning All-America Honorable Mention accolades.
Academically, the Panthers have shined under Petersen's guidance as well. A total of 20 players have earned first-team Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete honors during her time at the helm, with two players earning CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.
2009 was a record-breaking season for the Panthers, as Petersefn led UNI to a perfect 18-0 Missouri Valley Conference season and regular-season and tournament championships. UNI finished with a 31-3 overall mark, going 29 straight matches without a loss, the second-longest win streak in the nation. UNI advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 15th time in program history. The Panthers advanced to the second round with a 3-0 win over Washington State in the first round of the tournament before falling to eventual Elite Eight team Nebraska.
Petersen was named the Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year, her second time claiming the honor. Seven Panthers picked up conference honors, including MVC Player of the Year and MVC Tournament MVP Bre Payton and MVC Freshman of the Year Amy Braun. Payton and libero Ellie Blankenship also earned AVCA All-Region and All-America accolades.
The 2008 season was another banner one for the Panthers, as Petersen guided UNI to a 25-9 record, and its ninth NCAA tournament appearance in the past 11 years. For the first time ever, UNI earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, after finishing as runner-up at the State Farm MVC Tournament. The Panthers also kept their streak alive of 20-match victory seasons, having now won at least 20 matches each of the past 11 seasons. Seniors Amy Sampson and Ashten Stelken earned first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors, with Stelken being named honorable mention AVCA All-District.
The Panthers claimed the 2007 State Farm MVC Tournament title in 2007, their fifth under Petersen. Two UNI players, Ashten Stelken and Kristin Belzung, earned first-team All-MVC honors, while Danielle Brazda and Laura Rowen were second-team all-league picks. Freshman libero Ellie Blankenship was an MVC all-freshman team selection, as she set a Panthers single-season record for digs. Shannon Aschoff was named the 2007 State Farm MVC Tournament MVP, helping lead the Panthers to their second straight tournament title.
In 2006, Petersen was honored as Missouri Valley Conference coach of the year, after piloting the Panthers to a 28-8 mark (16-2 in MVC matches) and the second round of the NCAA tournament. After putting together another of it's patented winning streaks - the Panthers won 19 of 20 matches at one point - UNI defeated Winthrop in the first round of the NCAA tournament, marking the sixth straight time the Panthers had won at least their first-round NCAA match. UNI's season ended with a loss at top-ranked and eventual national champion Nebraska.
The 2006 season was not the first time Petersen had been honored with coaching accolades by her peers. She was named the AVCA National Coach of the Year in 2002, along with earning her second consecutive AVCA Central Region Coach of the Year award, after leading the Panthers to www.parissportifsensuisse.com/ a 34-3 mark and a top four national seed in the NCAA tournament.
Injuries and inexperience did not stop the 2005 Panthers from posting their eighth straight season of 20 or more wins. Three players expected to be key contributors each saw time on the sideline due to various ailments. However, with just one senior on the roster, UNI continued to grow and mature with each match. The Panthers also posted wins against a pair of NCAA tournament teams.
In 2004, with a young squad, Petersen guided UNI to its seventh consecutive season of 20+ victories, and a second-place tie in the Missouri Valley Conference standings. Playing its usual rigorous schedule, Petersen saw UNI post a season-best nine-match winning streak midway through the season, which marked the 12th consecutive season that Panther volleyball has won at least nine matches in a row during the season.
Petersen led UNI to its sixth consecutive MVC championship in 2003, as the Panthers defeated Missouri State on the Bears' home court to win the title. UNI finished with a 28-6 record and was ranked as high as sixth in the nation during the 2003 campaign. The Panthers advanced to the NCAA tournament's second round, dropping a close decision at eventual Final Four participant Minnesota.
Petersen took the Panthers to new heights in 2002 as they were ranked sixth in the nation - the highest ranking in school history - while entering into the NCAA Tournament as the number four seed. Along the way, UNI faced some of the toughest teams in the country, including Stanford, the defending national champion in the first match of the season. The Panthers came up big with wins over #3 Florida, #7 UCLA, #8 Pepperdine, #20 Minnesota and #20 Missouri.
In 2001, Petersen led UNI to a 31-2 mark, as the Panthers knocked off third-ranked Wisconsin, #19 Notre Dame and downed Minnesota in an epic five-game marathon in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Panthers eventually fell to #1 Long Beach State in the NCAA regional semi-finals. She also became the first person in conference history to win a league championship as a player (1986 and '87) and head coach when UNI beat Missouri State in the 2001 Valley Tournament final and Southern Illinois in 2002.
As a player at UNI from 1986-89, the former Bobbi Becker was a three-time first team all-conference selection and two-time first team all-region pick. Although it has been more than 15 years since she last donned a Panther uniform, her name still appears on UNI's top 10 lists in numerous statistical categories.
Her 40 kills in a 1989 match against Illinois State not only is tops in UNI history, but also stands as the all-time Missouri Valley/Gateway Conference record. A native of Dike, Iowa, Petersen compiled 1,611 career kills and 1,457 digs during her career. In 1992, she was https://www.parissportifsensuisse.com/ voted UNI's Gateway Conference Volleyball Athlete of the Decade. In 2006, she was further honored by being voted to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Centennial volleyball team.
A former standout as a Panther player, Petersen replaced the legendary Iradge Ahrabi-Fard as head coach when he retired in 2001. It marked the second time she had replaced Ahrabi-Fard; she served as interim head coach in 1997, going 18-9 while he was serving as a consultant to USA Volleyball.
Petersen spent six seasons as a Panther assistant prior to her appointment as permanent head coach. In that capacity, she was responsible for nearly all aspects of the Panther program, including recruiting, camps, scheduling, fund-raising and scouting.
Petersen earned her bachelor's degree in therapeutic recreation in 1990 and her master's from UNI in physical education in 1992. She served as a graduate assistant with the Panthers in 1990 and, after completing her master's, was employed as a therapeutic recreation specialist in Fort Smith, Ark., and Fort Dodge, Iowa.
Petersen and her husband, Duane, reside in Dike with their two sets of twin daughters, Baylee and Sydney (10), and Jadyn and Payton (4).
Overall Conference
Year School W L Pct. W L Pct. MVC Reg. Season MVC Tourn. Post Season
1997 UNI 18 9 .667 13 5 .722 2nd 2nd --
2001 UNI 31 2 .939 17 1 .944 1st 1st NCAA Regional
2002 UNI 34 3 .919 17 1 .944 1st 1st NCAA Regional
2003 UNI 28 6 .824 16 2 .889 2nd 1st NCAA Second Round
2004 UNI 22 10 .688 13 5 .722 T2nd T3rd --
2005 UNI 20 12 .625 12 6 .667 4th T3rd --
2006 UNI 28 8 .778 16 2 .889 1st 1st NCAA Second Round
2007 UNI 22 11 .667 14 4 .778 T2nd 1st NCAA First Round
2008 UNI 25 9 .735 13 5 .722 3rd 2nd NCAA First Round
2009 UNI 31 3 .911 18 0 1.00 1st 1st NCAA Second Round
Total 228 70 .765 131 31 .809
Education
UNI (1990) Bachelor's - Therapeutic Recreation
UNI (1992) Master's - Physical Education
College Coaching Experience
UNI Head Coach, 2001-present
UNI Interim Head Coach, 1997
UNI Assistant Coach, 1995-96, 1998-2000
UNI Graduate Assistant Coach, 1990
College Coaching Honors
MVC Coach of the Year, 2009
MVC Coach of the Year, 2006
AVCA National Coach of the Year, 2002
AVCA Central Region Coach of the Year, 2002
AVCA Central Region Coach of the Year, 2001
College Volleyball Experience
UNI, 1986-89
College Volleyball Honors
Missouri Valley Conference All-Centennial Team, 2006
UNI's Gateway Conference Player of the Decade, 1992
First Team All-Gateway Conference, 1987, '88, '89
Owns MVC/Gateway record for kills in a match with 40
Four-time Gateway Conference Player of the Week
Professional Volleyball Experience
Iowa Blizzard, 1996-97
Professional Volleyball Honors
All-Pro Team, 1996-97
