University of Northern Iowa Athletics
UNI volleyball: Bixby named MVC Freshman of the Week for second time
10/20/2025 4:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
ST. LOUIS --- For a second consecutive week, UNI redshirt freshmen Maryn Bixby has been named the Missouri Valley Conference's (MVC) Freshman of the Week for volleyball, as announced by the league office on Monday afternoon.
The selection comes for the Dike, Iowa native after she led the Panthers with nine total blocks on the weekend in road sweeps at Indiana State and Evansville, helping UNI improve to 8-0 in league play.Â
Northern Iowa is currently in the midst of an 11-match winning streak, tied for the third-longest in Division I, while also having won 44consecutive regular season matches against MVC opponents, the third-longest such streak in program history and the third-longest active streak in the nation.
UNI's season leader with 69 total blocks on the year, Bixby also dished out 17 total kills against the Sycamores and Purple Aces, including a career-high 11 terminations on Saturday at Evansville. On the year, she averaged 1.76 kills and 1.05 blocks per frame in her first season on the court after redshirting in 2024.
Bixby's selection is the sixth MVC weekly award of the season for the Panthers, who have seen Cassidy Hartman be named MVC Player of the Week twice this year and Jadyn Petersen the league's defensive player of the week twice.
In addition to Bixby, UIC's Ayat Amin was selected as the MVC's Player of the Week, while Southern Illinois' Jillian Shaneyfelt was named the MVC Defensive Player of the Week.
Bixby and the Panthers return to action on Friday as UNI hosts Illinois State at 6 p.m. CT inside the McLeod Center. Live coverage of the match can be found on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network (106.5 FM Corn Country / 93.5 HD-2).
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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.
