University of Northern Iowa Athletics
UNI volleyball: Bixby earns third consecutive MVC Freshman of the Week award
10/27/2025 2:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
ST. LOUIS --- For a third 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 home sweeps over Illinois State and Indiana State, helping UNI improve to 10-0 in league play.
Northern Iowa is currently in the midst of an 13-match winning streak, tied for the third-longest in Division I, while also having won 46 consecutive regular season matches against MVC opponents, the third-longest such streak in program history and the second-longest active streak in the nation.
UNI's season leader with 78 total blocks on the year, Bixby also dished out 20 total kills against the Redbirds and Sycamores, including a career-high 14 terminations on Saturday against Indiana State. On the year, she averaged 1.89 kills and 1.08 blocks per frame in her first season on the court after redshirting in 2024.
Bixby's selection is the seventh 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, Bradley's Mairen Mannon was selected as the MVC's Player of the Week, while Valparaiso's Emma Hickey was named the MVC Defensive Player of the Week.
Bixby and the Panthers return to action on Thursday, Oct. 30 as UNI hosts Belmont at 5 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).
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.
