University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
9-5,2-0MVC
Valparaiso
10-5,1-1MVC
Panther volleyball holds off Valparaiso on the road
9/27/2025 7:48:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
UNI moves to 2-0 in MVC play after a hotly contested victory in Indiana. Panthers visit Drake on Tuesday.
VALPARAISO, Ind. — The UNI volleyball team held firm on Saturday night in a tightly contested road match, escaping northwest Indiana with a narrow 3-1 victory over the Valparaiso Beacons in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) action.
On a night where the Panther offense was held in check by a stout Beacon defense, Northern Iowa rose to the occasion defensively, tying a season-high with 12 team blocks despite the offense being held to 54 team kills and a .101 hitting percentage. The victory also extends UNI's regular season conference winning streak to 38 matches.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UNI faced a stiff challenge from the Beacons out of the gate as Valparaiso took a quick 5-1 lead in the opening set thanks to a stellar defensive showing with five blocks. Despite a Kate Shafer ace to pull within three at 17-14 and a late push, the Panthers were held to 11 kills with 11 attack errors in the first set as the Beacons took the opener by a score of 25-17. Isabelle Elliott led Northern Iowa with four terminations in the first frame, with two kills a piece from Lindsay Oldendorf, Maryn Bixby and Lily Dykstra.
After splitting the first 12 points of the second stanza followed by a 4-0 Valparaiso lead, the Panthers stormed back for the lead with Sydney Golden dishing out two service aces as part of a 7-0 run for a 17-14 advantage. The Beacons would roar back with their own 5-0 run to grab a 20-18 lead, but it would be Northern Iowa finishing strong after a 21-21 tie, using a 3-0 run to close the set out for a 25-22 win. UNI notched 15 team kills on .182 hitting with Elliott adding seven kills in the second set.
Northern Iowa overcame a seven-point deficit and rallied back in a thrilling third set performance with 14 team terminations on .156 hitting. Using a 7-1 run, the Panthers pulled with a point at 15-14 and took the lead shortly after on a 5-0 run at 20-17. Bixby would add an ace on match point to seal the 25-22 victory and put UNI ahead two sets to one.
The Panthers pulled away from a narrow start to the fourth frame, using an 8-2 run to build an 18-10 lead. Valparaiso would storm back however with six straight points and tie the set up at 19-19 before the Beacons grabbed a 21-19 lead. UNI would respond and retake the lead and reach match point with a 4-0 run, featuring two aces by Golden. The final point of the night came down to video review as Valparaiso's final attack along the backline was overturned by a UNI challenge, securing the 25-23 win and 3-1 match victory.
Elliott finished the match with a career-high 14 kills and three blocks, while Oldendorf notched 11 terminations with a career-best seven blocks. Hartman tallied nine kills and ten digs in the UNI win, with Dykstra posting eight kills and eight digs, Bixby finishing with six kills and five blocks and Molly Shafer recording six kills. Reese Booth notched a double-double with 25 assists and a season-best 17 digs, with Golden adding nine assists to go along with a career-high four aces. Jadyn Petersen meanwhile tied her career-high with 23 digs.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI improves to 21-4 all-time against the Beacons with Saturday's victory, its seventh in a row against Valparaiso dating back to 2022.
- UNI has now won 38 straight matches in MVC regular season play dating back to the start of the 2023 conference schedule, including 44 straight matches over MVC challengers in both the regular season and postseason. The Panthers' last loss to a conference opponent came in the 2022 regular season finale at Drake.
- Sydney Golden's four service aces against the Beacons are tied for the most by a Panther in any match this year, matching Jadyn Petersen's four aces against both South Dakota State and Washington.
- Lily Dykstra has recorded eight or more kills in all 14 matches this season, including her last 15 outings dating back to the 2024 NCAA Tournament. She also recorded her 400th career kill in the Panther win.
- Reese Booth notched her sixth career double-double on Saturday, including her fourth of the 2025 campaign.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action on Tuesday, Sept. 30 as they visit the Drake Bulldogs in MVC action. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT at the Knapp Center in Des Moines 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.
