UNI volleyball clinches fourth straight MVC Tournament crown in sweep of Drake

Tuesday, November 25

Cedar Falls, Iowa

6 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

25-5,16-0MVC

Drake

18-12,12-4MVC

Drake

UNI

Photo by: Andy Saigh

UNI volleyball clinches fourth straight MVC Tournament crown in sweep of Drake

11/25/2025 9:04:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score FINAL RESULTS Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2

Panthers move on to NCAA Tournament for 27th time in school history. NCAA Selection Show scheduled for Sunday.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- UNI volleyball etched its name into the record books once again on Tuesday night as the Panthers won the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Tournament championship for a fourth consecutive season, defeating in-state rival and third-seeded Drake in straight sets inside the McLeod Center.

Northern Iowa cruised in the first set and outlasted the Bulldogs by two points in the final two frames to capture its 21st conference tournament title in program history. The Panthers notably secured the third MVC Tournament four-peat in league history, previously completed by Illinois State (1982-1985) and UNI (1998-2003).

For their outstanding play, Cassidy Hartman, Lily Dykstra and Jadyn Petersen were all named to the MVC All-Tournament Team, with Hartman being selected as the tournament's most valuable player.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Panthers bolted out of the gate with an impressive first set showing, opening the night with a 5-0 run and scoring 12 of the first 18 points of the match. UNI's offense locked in with 13 team kills on .250 hitting with Hartman posting eight terminations in the first frame, while Maryn Bixby and Isabelle Elliott notching two blocks each in a 25-13 win.

Northern Iowa and Drake tied 11 times and swapped control of the lead three times in a back-and-forth second stanza, splitting the first 30 points for the frame. After the Bulldogs tied the set up at 20-20, UNI, which hit an impressive .571 with 18 team kills, held strong despite a late push by Drake to take the set 25-23 and a two set to none lead. Hartman added five kills to her total in the frame, including four from Bixby, as Lindsay Oldendorf and Dykstra each tallied two blocks.

The Panthers would have to battle through a tough set against a resilient Drake squad in the third frame as the Bulldogs maintained a small lead for much of the set. Reese Booth dished out a pair of service aces to keep Northern Iowa on pace while a 7-2 Panther run pulled UNI within a point at 22-21. UNI would score four of the final five points to retake the lead, led by a ten-kill set by Hartman to complete the three-set sweep.

Hartman finished the night with a match-high 23 kills on .606 hitting with Bixby tallying eight kills and three blocks, with Dykstra also posting eight terminations and two blocks. Isabelle Elliott, Bixby and Oldendorf all posted three blocks in the win, while Booth finished with 26 assists and two aces. Sydney Golden notched 14 assists with Jadyn Petersen leading the backrow defense with 11 digs.

2025 MVC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Cassidy Hartman (UNI) [MVP)]
Lily Dykstra (UNI)
Jadyn Petersen (UNI)
Caroline Smith (Drake)
Kacia Brown (Drake)
Ruth Ziegler (Illinois State)
Sam Warren (Valparaiso)
Brooke Gilleland (Belmont)
Antonie Kelnarova (UIC)

ADDITIONAL NOTES

UNI improves to 96-16-2 all-time against Drake with their ninth consecutive victory over the Bulldogs on Tuesday. The Panthers are also now 7-1 against the Bulldogs in the MVC Tournament, as well as 5-0 vs. Drake in the title match.
This year's Panther team also notably joins the Panther teams from 1998 to 2002 as only the second group of UNI players to sweep both the MVC regular season and tournament championships in four straight seasons.
The Panthers' win on Tuesday was their 58th MVC Tournament victory all-time, extending their own league record. Northern Iowa also improves to 21-8 all-time in the MVC Tournament title match.
UNI has now won 60 consecutive matches against MVC opponents in both the regular season and postseason dating back to the 2022 conference tournament. The Panthers' last loss to an MVC challenger came in the 2022 regular season finale at Drake.
The Panthers have now won 21 consecutive matches dating back to the Capital Credit Union Classic in September, tying the eighth-longest winning streak in program history.
Northern Iowa's victory sends the Panthers to the NCAA Tournament for the 27th time in school history and 19th time under head coach Bobbi Petersen. UNI is 17-26 all-time in the NCAA Tournament with Sweet Sixteen appearances in 1999, 2001 and 2002.
Cassidy Hartman recorded her fifth match of at least 20 kills this season on Tuesday. The 2025 MVC Player of the Year notched 20+ kills in all three matchups with Drake this year, a career-high 26 at Southern Illinois (11/1) and 23 vs. Iowa State (9/9).

UP NEXT
The Panthers will await their NCAA Tournament fate with the announcement of the official tournament bracket on Sunday, Nov. 30. The tournament field and matchups will be announced live on ESPN at 5 p.m. CT.

UNI volleyball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Volleyball), X (@UNIVolleyball) and on Instagram (@univolleyball). The full 2024 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.