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University of Northern Iowa
4-5,0-0MVC
Creighton
5-4,0-0Big East
UNI volleyball rounds out Bluejay Invitational with loss to No. 18 Creighton
9/14/2025 6:04:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Dykstra named to All-Tournament Team. Panthers head to Wisconsin for the Capital Credit Union Classic next week.
OMAHA, Neb. — Opposing serving was the name of the game on Sunday as the UNI volleyball team closed out the 2025 Bluejay Invitational with a 3-0 loss to No. 18 Creighton at D.J. Sokol Arena.
In a matchup between former Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) rivals, Northern Iowa's offense struggled to keep the ball in off the service line with eight serving errors, while the Bluejays racked up nine aces, holding UNI to a .173 team hitting percentage.
For her stellar play through the weekend, Lily Dykstra was named to the Bluejay Invitational All-Tournament Team after averaging 4.5 kills per set during the weekend.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UNI faced an early challenge from Creighton's service game as the Bluejays racked up five aces in the opening set. Dykstra led the Panthers with four kills in the first set, with three from Cassidy Hartman and two from Calia Clubb as Northern Iowa recorded 11 team terminations on .212 hitting despite four attack errors and three service errors. Creighton would use an impressive 6-0 scoring run to push the frame to set point before closing out a 25-13 first set win over the Panthers.
Northern Iowa's blocking defense improved in the second stanza with Maryn Bixby tallying a pair of stops at the net with UNI's offense tallying 14 team terminations on .216 hitting. The Panthers would build an early 10-6 lead before the Bluejays stormed back to tie the set up at 12-12 and take the lead for good in a 25-20 win for a 2-0 match lead.
UNI's offensive struggles continued in the third set as the Panthers were held to just .086 hitting with 11 kills, recording eight attack and three service errors. Despite an early 8-7 lead and a Reese Booth ace, Creighton used a 4-0 run to take the lead and closed the match on a 5-0 run with a .370 team hitting clip to close the final frame out by a score of 25-17 to complete the sweep of the Panthers.
Hartman finished the afternoon with a team-high 13 kills, while Dykstra tallied nine terminations. Bixby posted a five kill performance with three blocks and four digs, as Lindsay Oldendorf, Isabelle Elliott and Clubb all posted three kills each. Booth recorded a team-high 16 assists plus six digs and one ace, while Kate Shafer finished with 15 assists and Jadyn Petersen led with 15 digs for the Panthers.
BLUEJAY INVITATIONAL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
- Cara Cresse, Louisville (MVP)
- Kalyssa Blackshear, Louisville
- Payton Petersen, Louisville
- Annalea Maeder, Creighton
- Ava Martin, Creighton
- Lily Dykstra, UNI
- Savannah Skopal, Rice
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI falls to 42-17 all-time against Creighton, who has now won the last eight meetings in the series.
- The Panthers are 25-97 all-time against AVCA top-25 ranked opponents. Northern Iowa's last win over a top-25 ranked opponent came in 2018 against No. 5 Kentucky in Los Angeles.
- Lily Dykstra has now recorded nine or more kills in all nine matches this season, including her last ten outings dating back to the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
- Cassidy Hartman recorded her 13th career match with ten or more kills on Sunday, including her sixth such match this season.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action next Thursday through Saturday at the Capital Credit Union Classic in Wisconsin, where they will take on Tennessee Tech, Western Michigan and Green Bay to round out the non-conference portion of the 2025 schedule.
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.
