UNI volleyball stuns Utah in NCAA Tournament reverse sweep

Thursday, December 4

Omaha, Neb.

4:30 p.m.

University of Northern Iowa

26-5,16-0MVC

Utah

15-15,7-11Big 12

Utah

UNI

Photo by: Andy Saigh

UNI volleyball stuns Utah in NCAA Tournament reverse sweep

12/4/2025 8:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score FINAL RESULTS

Panthers rally from down two sets to advance to round of 32 in NCAA Tournament.

OMAHA, Neb. --- Lily Dykstra, Cassidy Hartman and Reese Booth all posted double-double performances for the UNI volleyball team on Thursday as the Panthers rallied from down two sets to none to stun the Utah Utes in the opening round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at D.J. Sokol Arena.

Northern Iowa was unblocked by an 18-4 margin and struggled early out of system in the first two frames, but roared back with a gritty third set win, a fourth set victory thanks to a strong start and a wire-to-wire win in the winner-take-all fifth. The reverse sweep marks the first time UNI has rallied from down 2-0 in an NCAA Tournament match to advance since 2002 against Missouri.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Utah set an early tone with a 6-0 scoring run in the opening frame with a service ace to open the match. The Panthers would struggle offensively with seven attack errors and seven kills on .000 hitting as the Utes tallied a .448 hitting clip with 14 terminations and four blocks en route to a 25-15 win over UNI. Hartman and Isabelle Elliott would record two kills each in the frame.

Northern Iowa would put up a strong fight in the second stanza with 12 kills on .122 hitting. The Panthers used a 4-0 run to tie the set up at 10-10 before the Utes took the lead back with a 3-0 run of its own. UNI would even the score at 18-18 with a 4-0 run on a kill by Molly Shafer, back-to-back aces and a rare termination from Jadyn Petersen, but the Utes, hitting .343 with 12 kills, pulled away for a 25-21 lead and a two-set lead in the match. Dykstra led the Panthers with five kills in the set, with Hartman tallying three terminations.

The Panthers battled the Utes in another tight set in the third frame featuring ten ties and four lead changes. Booth dished out a service ace with Maryn Bixby blocking to give UNI a 9-7 lead as Utah grabbed and held a narrow lead for much of the frame. Northern Iowa would fight back however, led by eight kills from Dykstra and four from Hartman to recapture the lead, survive bonus ball and win the third set, 26-24 on 19 team terminations and .286 hitting.

UNI carried its momentum into set four with a 6-0 scoring run and would lead from start to finish with Dykstra adding an ace for a 9-1 advantage. Utah would chip away at the Panthers' lead, but a .317 hitting clip by UNI and 19 more team terminations would help push the Panthers across the line, led by eight additional kills from Dykstra and five for Hartman.

In set five, the Panthers continued their momentum with a 5-1 scoring run to begin the decisive frame before Utah closed the gap. Hitting .389 with nine terminations, UNI never relinquished the lead and closed on a 3-0 run, including an ace from Sydney Golden to set up match point with Hartman delivering the winning point for a 15-10 win and the come-from-behind match victory.

Dykstra led the Panthers with career-highs in kills (25) and digs (14), with Hartman notching 19 kills and 11 digs, as Shafer, Bixby and Elliott each tallied six terminations. Booth posted a 32 assist, 11 digs double-double, while Golden notched 18 assists. On defense, Petersen led UNI with 16 digs, as Bixby posted three of the Panthers' four total blocks on the night.

"I am so proud of this crew," said UNI head coach Bobbi Petersen. We were a little unsure with this match with so many who haven't experienced an NCAA Tournament match before. It didn't look pretty in those first two sets but I felt we never gave up, kept fighting and finding ways to score. They definitely put pressure on us and it was a battle and a fun NCAA Tournament match!"

ADDITIONAL NOTES

UNI improves to 3-1 all-time against Utah in the first NCAA Tournament matchup between the Panthers and Utes.
Northern Iowa is now 18-26 all-time in NCAA Tournament matches. Thursday's win marks the first time the Panthers have won matches in the tournament in consecutive seasons since 2002 and 2003. The win was also UNI's first over a Big 12 Conference opponent since 2012 (Kansas State).
The Panthers extended their winning streak on the season to 22 matches, the eighth-longest streak in program history.
UNI is now 5-5 in five-set matches in the NCAA Tournament with victories in 1999 (Ball State), 2001 (Minnesota), 2002 (Missouri) and 2003 (UC Santa Barbara).
Lily Dykstra recorded her fourth 20+ kill match of the year on Thursday (Southern Illinois, Drake, UIC). She has also posted at least eight kills in 29 of 31 matches this season, as well as 18 matches with ten or more terminations and her second career double-double, both coming this year.
Cassidy Hartman notched her 26th match this year with ten-plus terminations with her 14th double-double of the season.
Reese Booth's double-double was her ninth of the 2025 season.

UP NEXT
The Panthers will face off against the winner of No. 11 and third-seeded Creighton and Northern Colorado on Friday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. First serve is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT at D.J. Sokol Arena in Omaha, with live coverage available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network (106.5 Corn Country).

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.