University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
12-5,5-0MVC
Evansville
5-12,1-4MVC
UNI volleyball sweeps Evansville for eighth straight win
10/10/2025 8:11:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Hartman tallies third consecutive double-double in straight set win over Purple Aces. Panthers host Bradley on Saturday.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — Cassidy Hartman recorded a double-double in her third straight match on Friday as the UNI volleyball team notched its eighth consecutive win in a straight set sweep of the Evansville Purple Aces inside the McLeod Center in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) action.
Facing off against a talented blocking performance by Evansville, Northern Iowa racked up nine total blocks, including a career-high tying six blocks from Maryn Bixby for its seventh straight win over the Purple Aces. UNI also extended its MVC regular season winning streak to 41 consecutive matches.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UNI overcame a close start, but cruised to a comfortable first set win hitting .214 with 16 team kills, while holding the Purple Aces to .025 hitting and seven terminations. The Panthers built a 15-8 lead using a 5-0 scoring run, plus an ace from Taryn Rice to roll to victory, including five kills, eight digs and two blocks, plus four kills from Isabelle Elliott en route to a 25-17 win.
Northern Iowa's momentum carried into the second stanza with the Panthers opening the set on a 5-1 run in a frame with a .259 hitting clip and 12 team terminations. UNI led for all but one point, holding Evansville to a -.040 hitting percentage with Bixby racking up three blocks in the set. Lily Dykstra, Hartman and Bixby all added three kills to their totals as the Panthers cruised to a 25-14 set win to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
After opening up a 4-0 lead on the Purple Aces, UNI would have to withstand an Evansville surge late with the Aces recording 10 kills on .020 hitting. Despite Northern Iowa being held to .200 hitting in the final frame with 14 team terminations, the Panthers blocking game stepped up to hold off Evansville. Bixby would also add her ninth ace of the season as UNI held on for a 25-18 victory to complete the three-set sweep.
Hartman finished the night with 12 kills, 14 digs and three blocks with Dykstra recording 11 kills, seven digs and two blocks. Elliott tallied seven terminations and a pair of blocks, while Molly Shafer added five kills, and five terminations and a career-high tying six blocks. Reese Booth led the match with 19 assists with Sydney Golden adding ten assists and nine digs. Jadyn Petersen meanwhile led the match with 18 digs.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- The Panthers improve to 61-3 all-time against the Purple Aces with Friday's sweep. UNI has also won its last seven matches against Evansville.
- UNI has now won 41 straight matches in MVC regular season play dating back to the start of the 2023 conference schedule, the third-longest such streak in program history and the third-longest active streak in Division I volleyball. The Panthers have also won 47 straight matches over MVC challengers in both the regular season and postseason (longest active streak in Division I). Northern Iowa's last loss to a conference opponent came in the 2022 regular season finale at Drake.
- Northern Iowa has recorded nine or more blocks in each of its last four matches, including six times in 2025.
- Cassidy Hartman has recorded ten or more kills in 12 of UNI's 17 matches this year. Hartman also tallied her third consecutive double-double performance, the 15th of her career and eighth of the season.
- Lily Dykstra has now recorded eight or more kills in all 17 matches this season, including her last 18 outings dating back to the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
- Setter Sydney Golden is 85 assists shy of becoming the 15th member of UNI's 1,000 career assist club.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action on Saturday afternoon as they host the Bradley Braves. First serve is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls with live coverage available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network (106.5 FM Corn Country / 93.5 HD-2).
UNI volleyball student-athletes will also be available for post-match autographs on the McLeod Center's north concourse with free posters available while supplies last.
Tickets for Saturday's match, as well as season tickets for the 2025 volleyball season can be purchased online through the UNI Ticket Office, by calling 319-273-4849 or through email at tickets@uni.edu.
UNI volleyball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Volleyball), X (@UNIVolleyball) and on Instagram (@univolleyball). The full 2025 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
