mosere@lopers.unk.edu

Graduate student Peyton Neff is a captain and setter for the UNK volleyball team, ranked No. 6 in the nation. The North Platte product took a redshirt year in 2021 as a freshman but quickly becameone of UNK’s top athletes.

Junior Emilee Lane, a starting outside hitter, talked about the value Neff adds to the team.

“Peyton is a one-of-a-kind teammate, being some-one who is always encouraging and has a motivated attitude,” Lane said. “(Neff) wants the best for our team and provides a level of confidence in all of us.”

Neff got into volleyball as a byproduct of having older family members who played before her.

“My sister and my cousin both played, and I was kind of just the little tag-along,” Neff said. “They were six years older than me, so I was going to all of their high school games, their club games and so it was kind of just a given that I was going to play.”

In high school, Neff continued playing volleyball at North Platte High School and received All-State honors twice as she pursued an opportunity to play in college.

“I kind of think in the back of my head that I always wanted to play in college because my sister and my cousin were both playing in college, but I don’t think it hit me that it was a possibility until I started to get contacted by coaches,” Neff said.

When going through the recruiting process, Neff said that she knew she wanted to stay in-state for college.

“At the end of the day, this program was just so successful that it was kind of hard to say no,” Neff said. “It was also pretty close to home for me, so that was kind of a big thing that I don’t think I realized at the time.”

With parents who both played sports at UNK, Neff unknowingly chose to follow the path her parents took by committing to play volleyball at UNK.

“It wasn’t really a thing where they pushed me to come here because they had played here, but they obviously think it’s pretty cool now,” Neff said. “I think it’s a lot cooler now than I probably did as a freshman.”

Now, Neff is an All-American setter for the Lopers who leads the MIAA in assists and is second in the nation in assists per set.

“As a setter, one of the hardest jobs on the court, Peyton does her role with ease,” Lane said. “(Neff) is always working hard to give our team opportunities for success.”

The Lopers are now 22-1 with their final home matches of the season this weekend. UNK will host Pittsburg State on Friday at 6 p.m. and Newman on Saturday at 3 p.m. for Senior Day. Both matches can be heard on KLPR.