UNI volleyball battles Drake in Purple Out matchup on Tuesday night

UNI volleyball (19-5 / 12-0 MVC) vs. Drake (13-10 / 9-3 MVC)

Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025
6 p.m. CT
Cedar Falls, Iowa | McLeod Center (6,650)
WATCH (ESPN+) [Brad Wells: Play-by-Play / Jay Grassley: Analyst)
LISTEN (Panther Sports Radio Network) [Chris Kleinhans-Schulz: Play-by-Play)
LIVE RESULTS
TICKETS

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The UNI volleyball team kicks off its final two home match stretch of the regular season beginning Tuesday night as the Panthers play host to in-state rival Drake in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play.

First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT inside the McLeod Center with live coverage available on ESPN+, as well as the Panther Sports Radio Network (106.5 FM Corn Country / 93.5 HD-2) with Chris Kleinhans-Schulz on the call.

Tickets can be purchased online through the UNI Ticket Office, by calling 319-273-4849 or through email at tickets@uni.edu.

Fans are encouraged to wear purple for the team's annual Purple Out match, while UNI will also celebrate Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night.

UNI students in attendance will also have the opportunity to enter a drawing for a $1,000 scholarship. Rules and eligibility can be found HERE. For a full list of upcoming Panther promotions, click HERE.

UNI is riding a season-long 15-match winning streak heading into the week, tied for the second-longest active streak in Division I, including wins in its 12 league contests. The Panthers hold a 50-4 all-time lead on the Bulldogs, including a 3-1 win over Drake back on Sept. 30 in Des Moines.

The Panthers enter the final two weeks of league play after wins over Belmont last Thursday by a score of 3-0, and a 3-1 road win on Saturday at Southern Illinois. Cassidy Hartman notable set a career-high with 26 terminations against the Salukis with a double-double, while Lily Dykstra did the same with 20 kills, becoming the first pair of UNI teammates to record 20+ kills in the same match since 2023.

With four matches to play in the regular season, Northern Iowa's magic number to clinch at least a share of the MVC's regular season title and a top-two seed in the MVC Tournament in two, while its magic number for an outright championship is three.

UNI has found success on both offense and defense in recent weeks, notably recording a team hitting percentage north of .300 in six straight matches. The Panthers have also recorded at least seven blocks in its last ten of their last 11 outings, including a season-high 13 blocks at Drake at the end of September.

The Panthers are in the midst of a 48-match winning streak against MVC opponents in the regular season dating back to the start of the 2023 MVC schedule, the third-longest stretch in team history. UNI's last loss to an MVC opponent came in the 2022 regular season finale at Drake. The Panthers have also won 54 consecutive matches against MVC opponents overall (regular season and postseason), the nation's longest active streak.

Additionally, UNI head coach Bobbi Petersen is five wins away from passing former Panther softball coach Meredith Bakley as the university's all-time winningest female coach, and becoming Northern Iowa's second-winningest coach ever in any sport:

Peter Mazula (Men's & Women's Tennis) - 725 victories
Meredith Bakley (Softball) - 632 victories
Bobbi Petersen (Volleyball) - 628 victories
Ryan Jacobs (Softball) - 529 victories

UNI ranks third in all of Division I volleyball with 14.8 kills and 13.7 assists per set, and sixth in team attacks per set (38.3) and opponent hitting percentage (.148). Hartman leads the MVC in kills per set (4.1) and has posted 19 matches with ten or more kills in 2025. Dykstra has recorded eight or more kills in 22 of 24matches this year. She currently ranks third in the MVC with 3.5 kills per frame.

Reese Booth leads Northern Iowa with 6.2 assists per set, while Jadyn Petersen anchors the Panther backrow with 4.3 digs per frame and a team-high 22 service aces. At the net, Maryn Bixby has posted a team-high 84 blocks on the year, as Lindsay Oldendorf has recorded 52 total blocks.

SCOUTING DRAKE
The Bulldogs make the trip to Cedar Falls as the hottest team in the MVC outside of the Panthers, having won nine in a row after falling to UNI at the Knapp Center in late September. Drake currently sits in a tie with UIC for third in the MVC standings with a 9-3 conference mark.

Led by 13th year head coach Darrin McBroom, who earlier this year cracked the MVC's top-ten list for winningest coaches, Drake boasts a strong offense, with 15.3 kills per frame and solid ball movement, ranking 13th in Division I with 14.5 assists per set.

Kacie Brown leads the Bulldogs with 12 attacks per set and is second to UNI's Hartman in the league with 4.5 kills per frame. Drake also presents a challenge at the net with Aniyah Davis leading the Bulldogs with 1.1 blocks per set.

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.

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