University of Northern Iowa
7-5,0-0MVC
Green Bay
1-10,0-0Horizon
UNI volleyball sweeps Green Bay for Capital Credit Union Classic title
9/20/2025 6:02:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Panthers record third straight 3-0 sweep to finish non-conference play. UNI opens MVC action next Friday at UIC.
GREEN BAY, Wisc. — The UNI volleyball team completed a perfect weekend in Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon, sweeping the Green Bay Phoenix in the final match of the Capital Credit Union Classic to claim the team title outright.
Racking up 53 team kills with a .260 hitting percentage and a season-low five service errors and two aces, Northern Iowa finishes the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 7-5 record.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UNI jumped out to an early lead on the Phoenix in the opening set with an 8-3 advantage with Cassidy Hartman leading the charge offensively with six terminations. Green Bay would close the gap and take a brief lead at 18-17, but the Panthers would storm back with a 8-3 closing run to steal the first frame. The Panthers, with a service ace from Lily Dykstra, tallied 16 kills on .159 hitting to take the opening set by a score of 25-21.
In the second stanza, Lindsay Oldendorf turned up the heat with seven kills as Northern Iowa broke away from a tight 11-11 tie midway through the set. Kate Shafer added an ace as the Panthers gradually built a lead on Green Bay, holding on for a 25-20 victory in a set where UNI posted another 16 kills with a .159 hitting clip to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Dykstra would carry the Panther offense across the finish line in the third set, racking up eight kills in the final frame as UNI pulled away from an early 5-5 tie. Maryn Bixby, Dykstra, Oldendorf and Hartman each recorded one block assist as Northern Iowa posted a third consecutive set with 16 terminations and a .159 hitting percentage and never looked back to complete the three-set sweep.
Dykstra finished the afternoon with a match-high 16 terminations, with Hartman tallying 13 kills and Oldendorf posting a UNI career-best 12 kills. Bixby recorded seven terminations and two blocks, while Molly Shafer notched three kills and Isabelle Elliott two terminations. Reese Booth recorded her second consecutive double-double of the tournament with 22 assists and 12 digs, as Kate Shafer posted 17 assists and Jadyn Petersen finished with a team-high 13 digs.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI improves to a perfect 7-0 all-time against Green Bay in a series dating back to 1988.
- Northern Iowa finishes non-conference play at or above .500 for the third time in the last four seasons, including for the sixth time in the last 11 years (2016-18, 2022-23, 2025).
- Lily Dykstra has now recorded eight or more kills in all 12 matches this season, including her last 13 outings dating back to the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Saturday was her seventh match this season with ten or more kills.
- Cassidy Hartman posted her 15th career matches with ten or more kills, including her eighth of the season on Saturday.
- Reese Booth recorded her third double-double of the 2025 campaign, including the fifth of her career.
- Opposite/middle blocker Kamryn Vogt made her collegiate volleyball debut in Saturday's victory, appearing in the third set with two attack attempts.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action next Friday, Sept. 26 as they open Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play at UIC in a rematch of last year's MVC Tournament championship match. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT at Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago with live coverage available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network (106.5 FM Corn Country / 93.5 HD-2).
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.
