University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
20-5,13-0MVC
Drake
13-11,9-4MVC
Panther volleyball outlasts Drake for 20th win of the season
11/4/2025 9:08:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
UNI moves to the brink of another regular season championship. Panthers will host UIC on Friday night.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — In a battle between the two longest active winning streaks in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC), the UNI volleyball team emerged victorious from a competitive 3-1 match on Tuesday night against the Drake Bulldogs inside the McLeod Center.
For a second straight match, both Lily Dykstra and Cassidy Hartman surpassed 20 kills while the Panther defense recorded a season-high 15 blocks en route to securing the program's fourth consecutive 20+ win season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Drake tested UNI right out of the gate with a strong defensive effort in both the backrow and at the net, racking up three blocks against Panther hitters. Northern Iowa would tie the set up at 10-10, 11-11, 12-12 and 13-13, but Drake, hitting .308 with 17 kills, would build its lead from there and prevailed by a score of 25-18. Hartman and Dykstra each racked up five kills for the Panther offense in the opening frame.
Northern Iowa flipped the script in the second stanza with 15 team terminations on .342 hitting as Dykstra and Hartman combined for 11 kills. Solo blocks by Hartman, Lindsay Oldendorf and Maryn Bixby helped the Panthers maintain a lead for much of the frame, pushing UNI to a 25-15 set victory to even the match at one set a piece.
The third set turned into a battle of wits as the Panthers and Bulldogs exchanged control of the lead eight times with 14 ties. UNI's blocking defense from the second stanza carried over into the third despite a resilient Drake offense that hit .262 with 16 kills in the frame. The Bulldogs would force bonus ball in a 24-24 tie and stave off two Panther set points before Northern Iowa prevailed in a 27-25 win to take a two sets to one lead.
UNI's blocking defense closed the night strong with six blocks in the fourth set as the Panthers held Drake to .095 hitting. Hartman added six kills to her total with another five terminations from Dykstra with Oldendorf posting four blocks to help Northern Iowa surge across the finish line. UNI finished with 16 kills on .295 hitting for a 25-18 set victory.
Dykstra finished the night with a career-high 21 kills and season-high five blocks, as Hartman also finished with 21 kills and 14 digs for a double-double and a career-high three solo blocks. Both Oldendorf and Isabelle Elliott tallied seven kills each with six blocks by Oldendorf, while Bixby posted five kills and a career-high tying six blocks. Jadyn Petersen recorded her first career double-double with 16 digs and 11 assists, as Reese Booth posted 26 assists and 22 assists from Sydney Golden.
Tonight was definitely two really good teams going at it, said UNI head coach Bobbi Petersen. We could see the game planning against each other as they came out with a game plan that was completely unexpected based on the game we watched. We made adjustments, then they would make more, so I thought it was a really good chess match with both teams really playing their hearts out.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI improves to 95-16-2 all-time against Drake with its eighth consecutive victory over the Bulldogs. The Panthers are also 39-7 all-time at home vs. Drake.
- The Panthers have now won 49 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 55 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 can clinch at least a share of the MVC's regular season title with one more victory or one more loss by Valparaiso. A Panther win and Valparaiso loss on Friday would give Northern Iowa the MVC title outright.
- Tuesday's victory secured UNI's 30th season in program history with at least 20 wins.
- Head coach Bobbi Petersen is now just four 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.
- Northern Iowa has recorded ten or more blocks in a match four times this season, including Tuesday's season-high 15 blocks.
- Tuesday marked Cassidy Hartman's fourth match of the season with 20 or more terminations, her 20th match of the year with double-digit kill figures and her 12th double-double of the season.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action on Friday, Nov. 7 when they host the UIC Flames in their final home match of the regular season. 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 will celebrate senior players Sydney Golden and Lindsay Oldendorf prior to the match as part of Senior Day festivities.
Tickets for the 2025 volleyball season can be purchased online through the UNI Ticket Office, by calling 319-273-4849 or through email at tickets@uni.edu.
UNI will hold a special senior citizen ticket special for the match with $5 off purchase for senior citizens aged 65+ with a valid ID. The Panthers will also celebrate Military Appreciation Night, with any military member or first responder receiving free admission with a valid ID.
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.
