University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
15-5,8-0MVC
Evansville
6-14,2-6MVC
UNI volleyball tops Evansville to extend MVC win streak to 50
10/18/2025 7:13:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Panthers improve to 8-0 in league play. UNI hosts Illinois State and Indiana State next weekend.
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Maryn Bixby tallied a career-high 11 kills with Cassidy Hartman posting 12 terminations as the UNI volleyball team posted its 11th straight win on Saturday in a 3-0 sweep of the Evansville Purple Aces at Meeks Family Fieldhouse.
Hitting .306 with 47 total team kills, Northern Iowa has now won 50 consecutive matches against Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) opponents in the regular season and postseason, including 44 in a row against the MVC in the regular season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Purple Aces would test UNI right out of the gate before the Panthers jumped into a comfortable lead with a 6-0 scoring run, headlined by a Reese Booth service ace. Evansville's offense fought back and cut the Northern Iowa lead to just three points at 21-18 on a 6-1 scoring run, but five first set kills from Bixby and a .303 team hitting clip by UNI would help push the Panthers to a 25-20 win. Lily Dykstra would add three kills in the opening set with two terminations from Hartman.
Northern Iowa struggled to contain the Purple Aces to open the second stanza, falling behind 7-2 before the Panthers found their rhythm. A 4-0 UNI run would tie the match at 17-17 with a Bixby kill and Jadyn Petersen ace giving the Panthers a 21-19 lead. Evansville would force bonus ball, but UNI would finish strong for a 26-24 win with Bixby adding another five kills to her total, along with six terminations from Hartman as the Panthers hit .261 in the set.
UNI dominated the third set against the Purple Aces, hitting .400 with 15 team kills. Scoring five of the first six points of the frame, the Panthers grew their lead thanks to an 8-0 scoring run that included another ace from Petersen. Holding Evansville to a -.031 hitting clip, UNI cruises to a 25-10 victory to complete the three-set sweep.
In addition to 12 kills from Hartman and 11 terminations from Bixby with four blocks, Dykstra finished with nine kills and three blocks, while Molly Shafer added seven kills and three blocks. Sydney Golden tallied a team-high 18 assists with Booth posting 16 assists and Petersen posting 11 digs.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI improves to 62-3 all-time against Evansville after completing the regular season sweep of the Purple Aces on Saturday. The Panthers are also now 31-2 against Evansville on the road.
- UNI has won 44 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 50 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 15 of UNI's 20 matches this year.
- Lily Dykstra has recorded eight or more kills in all 20 matches this season, including her last 21 outings dating back to the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
- Setters Sydney Golden and Reese Booth both continue to inch closer to joining UNI's 1,000 career point club. Golden is 31 assists away while Booth needs 38 assists.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action next Friday and Saturday when they host the Illinois State Redbirds on Oct. 24 at 6 p.m. CT and the Indiana State Sycamores on Oct. 25 at 5 p.m. CT. Live coverage of both matches will be 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.
