University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
9-5,3-0MVC
Illinois State
11-3,2-1MVC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNI | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Illinois St. | 23 | 18 | 20 | 0 |
UNI volleyball sweeps Illinois State in Normal
10/1/2026 8:13:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Panthers stay unbeaten in MVC play. UNI visits Bradley on Friday night.
NORMAL, Ill. — The UNI volleyball team survived a challenging first set from Illinois State on Thursday night, but finished strong in the final two frames to secure a 3-0 road win against the Redbirds at CEFCU Arena in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) action.
In the rematch of last season's MVC Tournament semifinal, Northern Iowa overcame a slow start in the opening set, then dominated down the stretch, particularly on defense with nine total blocks.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UNI opened an early 7-2 lead on the Redbirds in the opening set, but attack errors by the Panthers helped Illinois State close the gap and eventually tie the set up at 16-16 and briefly take the lead. While the Redbirds outblocked Northern Iowa by a 3-1 margin, the Panthers stormed back despite being held to .104 hitting with 14 team kills, including seven combined terminations from Lily Dykstra and Cassidy Hartman. Tied at 23-23, UNI finished strong with Isabelle Elliott and Maryn Bixby combining for the set-winning block and a 25-23 win.
Northern Iowa bounced back with a strong performance in the second stanza, jumping out to another early 7-2 lead before the Redbirds stormed back. UNI's blocking defense would step up in the second set with four stops at the net, as well as three total service aces from Hartman and Reese Booth, the latter of whom scored back-to-back aces for a 15-10 lead. The Panthers would lead from start to finish and finish with 12 kills on .226 hitting in a 25-18 set victory to take a two-set lead in the match.
Set three followed a similar script early for the Panthers once again with an early 7-3 lead, but Illinois State would strike back and grab its biggest lead of the night at 14-10. UNI would respond however with a 3-0 run to build momentum and roared across the finish line down the stretch en route to a 25-20 win, capped by an ace by Dykstra on match point. The Panthers finished the third frame with 16 terminations on .234 hitting and another four blocks.
Dykstra finished the night with 15 kills and ten digs, with Hartman posting 11 terminations and eight digs. Booth notched a 25-assist, 16-dig double-double with a pair of aces, with Bixby posting seven kills and a career-high tying eight blocks. Elliott tallied four terminations and three blocks in the win, along with three kills from Calia Clubb, as Jadyn Petersen finished the match with 15 digs.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI improves to 64-30 all-time against the Redbirds after Thursday's win. The Panthers have now won their last nine matchups against Illinois State.
- Northern Iowa has won 55 consecutive MVC regular season matches dating back to the 2023 season (second-longest active streak in Division I), as well as 63 straight contests against MVC opponents in the regular season and postseason, the longest active streak in Division I volleyball.
- UNI has posted seven or more blocks in 13 of 14 matches this season and at least two blocks in every contest this year.
- The Panthers are now 7-2 this year and 25-5 all-time when both Lily Dykstra and Cassidy Hartman record double-digit kills.
- Cassidy Hartman notched her 11th match this season with ten or more kills, 53rd such match of her career.
- Lily Dykstra posted her 12th match of the year with ten-plus kills and 42nd such match in her career. She also notched her fourth double-double of the season and fifth of her career in Thursday's win.
- Reese Booth has now posted a double-double in nine consecutive matches, 12 this season and 24 matches for her career.
- Maryn Bixby's eight blocks on Thursday extended her season streak with at least three blocks in eight of her nine match appearances this year.
- Jadyn Petersen extended her streak of 11 straight matches without a reception error. The junior defensive specialist/libero has a season reception percentage of .995 with just one error on 220 attempts.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action on Friday night as they visit the Bradley Braves. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT at Renaissance Coliseum in Peoria with live coverage available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network (106.5 Corn Country / Varsity app).
UNI volleyball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Volleyball), X (@UNIVolleyball) and on Instagram (@univolleyball). The full schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
