University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
12-5,6-0MVC
Southern Illinois
9-9,3-3MVC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNI | 25 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Southern Ill. | 17 | 25 | 13 | 15 | 1 |
Panther volleyball withstands road test with 3-1 win over Salukis
10/10/2026 8:34:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
UNI moves to 6-0 in MVC play with four-set win at Southern Illinois. Panthers host Valparaiso, UIC next weekend.
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Despite dropping their first set in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play this season, the UNI volleyball team stood firm and improved to a perfect 6-0 in league play with a 3-1 road win at Southern Illinois on Saturday at Davies Gym.
The Panther offense played a highly-efficient match with a .305 hitting percentage and 61 team terminations, while the Northern Iowa defense tallied nine total blocks, along with five service aces.
Â
HOW IT HAPPENED
UNI jumped on the Salukis early with a 7-0 scoring run to open the match. The Panthers, who hit .351 with 14 team kills and only one attack error, took advantage of seven SIU attack errors, plus a service ace from Maryn Bixby to roll to a 25-17 first set win. Cassidy Hartman led the charge with five terminations, including three kills each by Lily Dykstra and Calia Clubb.
Northern Iowa struggled to slow SIU in the second set as the Salukis improved greatly on their attack errors and itself being held to .152 hitting with 15 terminations. The Panthers would lead for the majority of the frame until Southern Illinois evened the set at 18-18 and outdualed UNI in a narrow 25-23 win.
SIU carried its second set momentum into the third with a 6-1 run before the Panthers stormed back and took the lead for good. Led by 17 team kills on .385 hitting and only two attack errors, UNI tallied four total blocks and held the Salukis to .046 hitting en route to a 25-13 set win for a 2-1 match lead.
Northern Iowa continued its stellar play in the fourth frame with a 7-2 run to open the set with the Panther offense continuing to roll with 15 kills on .379 hitting. UNI dished out three aces in the final frame from Maryn Bixby, Jadyn Petersen and Reese Booth, the latter of whom delivered her ace on match point in a 25-15 win for the four-set victory.
Hartman finished the night with a match-high18 kills, plus 15 digs and two blocks in the win, with Dykstra posting a 11 kills and nine with twi blocks and Clubb also posting 14 terminations and four blocks. Bixby put up a season-high 11 kills as Booth recorded 42 assists and 14 digs. Grace Hannam tallied six kills and three blocks, while Petersen posted 18 digs and ten assists.
Â
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI improves to 71-13 all-time against Southern Illinois with its 19th consecutive win in the series. The Panthers also improve to 48-6 against SIU under head coach Bobbi Petersen.
- By virtue of Dayton's loss at Saint Louis on Saturday, Northern Iowa now holds both the longest active regular season conference winning streak (58) and overall conference winning streak (66) in Division I volleyball. The Panthers are three MVC wins shy of their own program and conference record for consecutive overall wins against league opponents.
- The Panthers have posted seven or more blocks in 15 of 17 matches this season and at least two blocks in every contest this year.Â
- UNI is now 9-2 this year (27-5 all-time) when Cassidy Hartman and Lily Dykstra posted ten or more kills each.
- Head coach Bobbi Petersen now sits seven wins shy of her 400th career win in MVC regular season play.
- Setter Reese Booth extended her double-double streak to 12 consecutive matches with her 14th double-double outing of the year and 27th of her career.
- Grace Hannam has tallied at least two blocks in all but one match this year, while Maryn Bixby has notched at least three blocks in 11 of 13 matches played this season.
Â
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action next Friday, Oct. 16 when they host the Valparaiso Beacons in MVC action. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT inside the McLeod Center with live coverage available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network (106.5 Corn Country / 93.5 HD-2 / Varsity app).
Tickets for Thursday's match can be purchased through the UNI Ticket Office or by calling 319-273-4849. Fans in attendance will be treated to half-priced sodas and $3 pretzels, as well as a drink mug giveaway for the first 500 fans through the gate.
Â
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.
