University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
13-5,6-0MVC
Bradley
8-10,2-4MVC
UNI volleyball cruises to 6-0 in MVC play with sweep of Bradley
10/11/2025 6:58:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Panthers have now won 42 consecutive regular season conference matches. UNI visits Indiana State and Evansville next weekend.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — UNI volleyball closed out its three-match homestand on Saturday night, scoring its ninth straight victory of the year in a 3-0 sweep of the Bradley Braves inside the McLeod Center in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play.
Northern Iowa's offense hummed to the tune of 50 team kills and a .294 hitting percentage with seven total blocks, including four service aces in the opening frame. The victory also extended UNI's regular season conference winning streak to 42 straight matches.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UNI's offense bolted out to a strong start in the opening set scoring eight of the first ten points that included a service ace from Maryn Bixby. Sydney Golden and Jadyn Petersen both added aces for the Panthers for a 13-4 lead as UNI hit .294 with 14 team terminations. The Braves would chip away as the set progressed, cutting the Northern Iowa lead to two at 17-15, but another ace from Petersen helped push the Panthers across the finish line along with five total kills from Cassidy Hartman for a 25-18 set win.
Northern Iowa's offense rolled in the second stanza, racking up an impressive 20 team kills on .429 hitting. The Panthers opened the set with a 7-1 scoring run and led wire-to-wire as Hartman added six kills to her total and Bixby added five terminations with three additional blocks. While the Braves were able to tally 12 kills on .205 hitting, UNI's attack off the block played a key factor in the Panthers' 25-15 set win for a 2-0 match lead.
The Panthers overcame a slow start in the third set, responding from an early 3-2 deficit with an 8-0 scoring run to take control of the frame. While only hitting .180 as a team in the set, UNI racked up 16 kills with Hartman adding another five terminations to her ledger with Molly Shafer stepping up with five kills as well. Isabelle Elliott and Kaitlyn Sellner each added a pair of terminations as the Panthers rolled to a 25-12 win to complete the sweep.
Hartman finished the night with a match-high 14 kills and 12 digs for a double-double performance, with Bixby tallying a career-high nine terminations along with a match-high four blocks. Lily Dykstra also posted nine kills and seven digs, while Molly Shafer finished with eight kills. Elliott posted seven terminations and a pair of blocks as Reese Booth notched a 19 assists, ten dig double-double and Golden tallying a season-high 21 assists. Petersen finished the match with 18 digs and two aces.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI improves to 75-12 all-time against Bradley with Saturday's win in its only regular season meeting with the Braves this year. The Panthers are also now 34-1 all-time against Bradley at home with their only loss to the Braves at home coming on Oct. 24, 1984
- UNI has won 42 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 48 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.
- Cassidy Hartman has recorded ten or more kills in 13 of UNI's 18 matches this year. Hartman also tallied her fourth consecutive double-double performance, the 16th of her career and ninth of the season.
- In addition to Hartman's double-double, Reese Booth recorded her eighth career double-double and sixth of the season. Booth also moved within 79 assists of her 1,000th career assist.
- Lily Dykstra has now recorded eight or more kills in all 18 matches this season, including her last 19 outings dating back to the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
- Setter Sydney Golden is 64 assists shy of joining UNI's 1,000 career assist club.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action next weekend on the road at Indiana State on Oct. 17 and at Evansville on Oct. 18. Both matches are scheduled for a 5 p.m. CT first serve with live coverage available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network (106.5 FM Corn Country / 93.5 HD-2).
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.
