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University of Northern Iowa
2-1,0-0MVC
Stony Brook
3-1,0-0CAA
UNI volleyball sweeps Stony Brook to open DoubleTree Invitational
9/4/2025 5:41:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Panthers improve to 2-1 win three-set win over Seawolves. UNI takes on No. 11 SMU tomorrow night.
DALLAS — UNI volleyball trailed for just four points on Thursday afternoon as the Panthers dominated the Stony Brook Seawolves in a 3-0 sweep to open the 2025 DoubleTree Invitational at Moody Coliseum in Texas.
In a match that featured head coach Bobbi Petersen facing off against a pair of former Panther standout and SBU coaches in Kristin Belzung and Amie Held, Northern Iowa's passing and offensive output dominated the match as the Panthers tallied 49 team kills on 45 assists and a .291 hitting percentage, along with three service aces and seven blocks.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Panther offense set the tone early with 17 total terminations on .351 hitting as Lindasy Oldendorf helped pace UNI with six first set kills. After giving up the first point of the match to the Seawolves, Northern Iowa cruised down the stretch with both Maryn Bixby and Lily Dykstra each recording their first career service aces, and containing Stony Brook's attack, which produced just seven kills on a .091 hitting clip. With UNI moving the ball well, the Panthers grabbed a 1-0 lead in the match with a 25-14 opening set victory.
Northern Iowa overcame an early 3-0 deficit in the second stanza with an impressive 7-0 scoring run, once again putting on another strong showing on offense with 15 kills on .205 hitting. With its early scoring run fueled by terminations from Cassidy Hartman, Calia Clubb and Bixby, the Panthers held the lead the rest of the set despite a 4-0 Seawolves run that cut the UNI lead to two points at 16-14 and 19-17. UNI would score the final four points of the set with Hartman reaching double-digit terminations and a pair of Stony Brook errors for a 25-18 win
The Panthers strong performance continued in the third set with a 7-2 scoring run to begin the frame, highlighted by terminations from Bixby, Hartman and Dykstra, the latter two of whom notched an ace. Attack errors would plague the Seawolves once again with just three kills and seven errors for a -.111 hitting clip, while UNI posted 17 kills on .324 hitting. Scoring ten of the final 15 points, Northern Iowa cruised to a 25-12 win to complete the three-set sweep, its first of the year.
Hartman finished the afternoon with a match-high 15 kills plus nine digs in the Panther victory, while Dykstra tallied nine kills and a team-high ten digs. Oldendorf and Clubb each posted six kills, as Elliott notched five kills and a pair of blocks. Bixby anchored the UNI defense with a team-high three blocks as Kaitlyn Sellner also added a pair of blocks. Reese Booth posted 18 assists and nine digs, with Jadyn Petersen recording 13 assists and nine digs, while Kate Shafer tallied 12 assists.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Thursday's match was the first all-time meeting between Northern Iowa and Stony Brook in volleyball.
- Stony Brook head coach Kristin Belzung and assistant coach Amie Held are both former UNI volleyball standouts. Belzung (2003-07) helped UNI reach back-to-back NCAA Tournaments in 2006 and 2007 as a setter, while Held played outside hitter and libero from 2013 to 2016.
- UNI improved to 18-8 under head coach Bobbi Petersen in its first match away from home in a season (road or neutral site).
- Cassidy Hartman recorded her ninth career match with ten or more kills on Thursday, including her second of the 2025 season.
- Freshman outside hitter Molly Shafer made her collegiate debut in the Panthers' victory, entering the match in the second and third sets.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action tomorrow night as they take on No. 11 SMU. First serve between UNI and the Mustangs is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT at Moody Coliseum with live coverage available on ACCNX and the Panther Sports Radio Network.
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.
