University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
23-5,16-0MVC
Belmont
17-10,8-8MVC
UNI volleyball rallies late for win at Belmont
11/15/2025 7:45:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Panthers finish off third undefeated regular season conference schedule. UNI hosts semifinals of MVC Tournament next Saturday.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Four Panthers notched double-digit kill figures on Saturday as the UNI volleyball team capped the 2025 regular season with a thrilling 3-1 road victory over the Belmont Bruins in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) action.
After dropping the first set and falling behind by six points in the fourth frame, Northern Iowa rallied thanks to a .242 team hitting percentage on the night with six service aces and ten team blocks to complete the regular season sweep of the Bruins, and finish off the program's third consecutive undefeated MVC regular season schedule.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Belmont brought the heat to the Panther defense in the opening set with 15 ties and six lead changes in a tight back-and-forth. UNI's offense struggled with nine attack errors on .175 hitting as the Bruins racked up 14 kills on .353 hitting and just two attack errors in a 25-22 loss. Isabelle Elliott notched four kills for the Panthers in the set, while Cassidy Hartman and Lindsay Oldendorf each posted three terminations, with Hartman adding an ace and Oldendorf two blocks.
Northern Iowa responded with a hard fought second stanza, racking up a pair of early aces by Lily Dykstra and Maryn Bixby for a 7-4 lead. UNI, hitting .220 with 13 team kills in the set, used a 4-0 scoring run for an 18-13 lead and held off a late push by the Bruins for a 25-22 win to even the match at one set a piece.
The Panthers followed up their second set win with a dominant showing in the third set, hitting .405 with 15 team kills, three aces and four blocks. UNI controlled the pace of play and forced Belmont out of rhythm, holding the Bruins to just four team kills on -.037 hitting. Sydney Golden would add an ace on set point to give the Panthers a 25-11 win, as well as a two sets to one lead.
Belmont turned the tables on UNI to open the fourth frame, building a 10-4 lead early. The Panthers would gradually chip away at the Bruins' lead with a .256 team hitting clip and 19 terminations, tying the set up at 19-19 and taking the lead on a Reese Booth kill. Belmont would force bonus ball however, but the Panthers would close strong with back-to-back terminations from Elliott and Hartman for the 26-24 comeback win.
Hartman finished the night with a team-high 14 kills and eight digs, with Elliott tallying 13 kills and five digs. Dykstra posted 11 kills and nine digs, while Oldendorf recorded ten kills and a team-high five blocks. Both Molly Shafer and Bixby finished with seven kills a piece. Booth posted a 28 assists, 11 dig double-double with Golden notching 23 assists, as Jaydn Petersen finished with 25 digs.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI improves to 6-0 all-time against Belmont, with all six meetings coming as opponents in MVC play.
- Northern Iowa's victory marks the third time in MVC history a program has won undefeated in regular season conference play in three consecutive seasons. The Panthers did so from 1998 to 2000, and again from 2009 to 2011.
- The Panthers have now won 52 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 58 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.
- UNI extends its overall winning streak to 19 matches, tied for seventh-longest in team history.
- Head coach Bobbi Petersen is now just one win 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.
- Reese Booth notched her tenth career double-double on Saturday, her eighth of the season.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action next Saturday for the semifinal round of the 2025 MVC Tournament, where they will face the winner of the opening round matchup between UIC and Illinois State. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT at the McLeod 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.
