University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Drake
UNI volleyball: Hartman, defense power Panthers to road win at Drake
9/30/2025 8:41:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Panthers improve to 3-0 in MVC play. UNI hosts Murray State for homecoming on Saturday afternoon.
DES MOINES, Iowa — Cassidy Hartman tied her career-high with 23 kills as the Panther blocking defense racked up 11 total blocks on Tuesday night in the UNI volleyball team's 3-1 road victory at Drake, pushing the Panthers' Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) record to 3-0.
Northern Iowa dished out six service aces and tacked up 62 team terminations with a .238 hitting percentage in its 112th all-time meeting against its in-state rival, while also extending its regular season conference winning streak to 39 matches.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Northern Iowa jumped out to a quick lead on the Bulldogs and never looked back, scoring six of the first eight points thanks to a strong blocking effort early. Using a 5-0 run to build an 11-4 lead, the Panthers picked apart the Drake defense, holding the Bulldogs to a -.250 hitting clip with 13 attack errors, while Northern Iowa notched 11 team kills on .176 hitting. Hartman led the set with five terminations and two blocks, while Lindsay Oldendorf and Isabelle Elliott each notched two blocks, along with a service ace from Taryn Rice to take the first set, 25-13.
The Panthers faced a stiff challenge from Drake in the second stanza, a set that featured nine ties early. Northern Iowa's service game took a big step with aces from Lily Dykstra, Jadyn Petersen and Rice, with Dykstra leading the offense with four kills. With UNI hitting .175 as a team with 14 total terminations, the Panthers pulled away from a determined Drake squad with a 25-20 victory, taking a 2-0 lead in the match.
Both the UNI and Drake offenses stepped up their respective attacks with the Panthers hitting .245 with 20 team kills in the set and the Bulldogs posting a .350 hitting clip with 16 terminations. Rice would dish out her third ace of the night in a frame that saw 12 ties and see Hartman rack up another 12 kills individually. The Bulldogs would battle back late however and take the set by a score of 26-24.
After coming up short in the third, Northern Iowa stormed back with a strong fourth frame, racking up 17 kills on .341 hitting. Dykstra would add her second ace of the night early as the Panthers slowly built a lead and didn't look back as she and Elliott surpassed double-digit kills. UNI held the Bulldog offense in check with just nine terminations on .062 hitting as the Panthers took the fourth frame by a score of 25-19 to complete the four-set victory.
Hartman notched a double-double by tying her career-high with 23 kills, plus 15 digs and a team-high five blocks, while Dykstra finished with 12 kills and two aces. Elliott tallied 11 terminations with three blocks, as Maryn Bixby totaled 11 kills and three blocks, five kills and three blocks for Oldendorf and four terminations and two blocks for Molly Shafer. Reese Booth notched a double-double with a career-best 29 assists and 12 digs, while Sydney Golden posted a season-high 16 assists. In the backrow, Petersen led tying her career-best with 23 digs.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI improves to 94-16-2 all-time against Drake with its seventh consecutive win over the Bulldogs. The Panthers are also now 50-4 against Drake under head coach Bobbi Petersen.
- UNI has now won 39 straight matches in MVC regular season play dating back to the start of the 2023 conference schedule, tying the third-longest such streak in program history (1994-96). The Panthers have also won 45 straight matches over MVC challengers in both the regular season and postseason. Northern Iowa's last loss to a conference opponent came in the 2022 regular season finale at Drake.
- Tuesday night marked the third time this season the Panthers have recorded ten or more blocks. UNI notched 12 blocks earlier this year against South Dakota and blocked 12 attacks last Saturday at Valparaiso.
- Cassidy Hartman recorded her fifth career match with 20+ kills on Tuesday and second of the 2025 season, matching her career-high with 23 kills she set against Iowa State. She also notched her 13th career double-double in the win over Drake and sixth of the year.
- Reese Booth posted her seventh career double-double on Tuesday night, her fifth of the season and second in a row.
- Lily Dykstra has recorded eight or more kills in all 15 matches this season, including her last 16 outings dating back to the 2024 NCAA Tournament. She has also notched eight matches this season with ten or more terminations.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action on Saturday, Oct. 4 as they host the Murray State Racers in MVC play. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls. Due to home football scheduled for Oct. 4, no televised broadcast will be available. Live radio coverage of the match can be found on 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.
