University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
22-5,15-0MVC
Murray State
4-21,2-14MVC
UNI volleyball sweeps Murray State to open final road trip
11/14/2025 8:58:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Panthers improve to 15-0 in MVC play ahead of regular season finale on Saturday.
MURRAY, Ky. — The UNI volleyball team opened the final weekend of the 2025 regular season on Friday night with a 3-0 sweep of the Murray State Racers at Racers Arena in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play.
Northern Iowa posted a team hitting percentage of .370 or better in each set and notched 42 total kills on the night for a .474 hitting clip. The victory puts the Panthers on the precipice of a third straight undefeated conference schedule heading into Saturday's regular season finale.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UNI dominated the opening set, leading wire-to-wire against the Racers. Stellar play at the service line and a .524 hitting percentage with 12 kills in the frame helped push the Panthers to a commanding 25-9 set win. Cassidy Hartman, Maryn Bixby and Lily Dykstra each posted three kills each in the frame, with two aces a piece from both Reese Booth and Bixby.
Northern Iowa faced a stiff challenge from Murray State in the second stanza in a frame that saw nine ties and four lead changes. Molly Shafer would lead the charge for the Panthers with five terminations in the set with four each from Hartman and Dykstra, as UNI hitting .438 in the frame with 17 team kills en route to a 25-21 victory.
In the third set, Shafer and Hartman both pressed the attack for the Panthers with five kills each in a 25-15 win. Hitting .370 in the final frame with 13 kills, UNI forced eight Racer attack errors and pulled away late for a ten-point set win and the 3-0 match sweep.
Hartman finished the night with a team-high 12 kills and five blocks, while Shafer recorded 11 kills. Dykstra posted eight terminations and three blocks, as Bixby tallied four kills and four blocks. Lindsay Oldendorf finished with three kills and a match-high six blocks, with Sydney Golden posting 16 assists, Booth 12 assists and Jadyn Petersen a match-high 14 digs.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI improves to 7-0 all-time against Murray State, including 6-0 under head coach Bobbi Petersen.
- The Panthers have now won 51 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 second-longest active streak in Division I volleyball. The Panthers have also won 57 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.
- Head coach Bobbi Petersen is now just two wins shy of passing former UNI softball coach Meredith Bakley as the university's all-time winningest female coach, as well as the school second-winningest coach of all-time for any sport.
- Cassidy Hartman has now posted ten or more kills in 22 of 27 matches this year. Lily Dykstra has recorded at least eight kills in 24 outings this season.
UP NEXT
The Panthers will close out the 2025 regular season on Saturday when they visit the Belmont Bruins in Nashville. First serve is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT at the Curb Event Center 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.
