University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Evansville
10/21/2026 10:46:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
UNI chases historic win streak record in penultimate regular season home weekend. Tickets available for purchase.
UNI volleyball (14-5 / 8-0 MVC) vs. Evansville (4-16 / 1-7 MVC)
- Friday, Oct. 23, 2026
- 6 p.m. CT
- Cedar Falls, Iowa | McLeod Center (6,650)
- WATCH (ESPN+) [Eric Braley: Play-by-Play / Beth West: Analyst]
- LISTEN (Panther Sports Radio Network / Varsity Network app) [Chris Kleinhans-Schulz: Play-by-Play]
- LIVE RESULTS
- TICKETS
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UNI volleyball (14-5 / 8-0 MVC) vs. Bradley (11-9 / 6-2 MVC)
- Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026
- 5 p.m. CT
- Cedar Falls, Iowa | McLeod Center (6,650)
- WATCH (ESPN+) [Eric Braley: Play-by-Play / Beth West: Analyst]
- LISTEN (Panther Sports Radio Network / 106.5 Corn Country) [Chris Kleinhans-Schulz: Play-by-Play]
- LIVE RESULTS
- TICKETS
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CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- UNI volleyball's four-match homestand concludes this weekend with potential history in store for the Panthers as the purple and gold host Evansville and Bradley this Friday and Saturday in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) action.
First serve for the Panthers and Purple Aces is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT on Friday night inside the McLeod Center, with a 5 p.m. CT first serve slated for UNI's match with the Braves on Saturday afternoon. Live coverage of both matches can be found on ESPN+ and on the Panthers Sports Radio Network (106.5 Corn Country / 93.5 HD-2 / Varsity app) with Chris Kleinhans-Schulz on the call. Radio coverage on Friday will only be available on UNIpanthers.com and through the Varsity Network app.
Tickets for this weekend's matches can be purchased through the UNI Ticket Office or by calling 319-273-4849. The ticket office in the Hall of Fame Connector, located between the UNI-Dome and McLeod Center, will open one hour prior to first serve.Â
Fans in attendance on Friday will be treated to a sherpa bucket hat giveaway while supplies last, as well as $5 kids tickets, $2 hot dogs and $2 nachos for both nights.Â
Spectators are encouraged to wear pink on Saturday as well for the team's annual Pink Out Match in support of the fight against breast cancer. Post-match autographs will also take place at the conclusion of the match. A full list of upcoming Panther Promotions can be found HERE.
Northern Iowa will get its first look at Evansville this season with both teams set to meet again in southern Indiana next weekend. UNI holds a dominant 62-3 record against the Purple Aces with eight straight wins in the series. Saturday will be the second meeting between the Panthers and Braves this year after UNI swept Bradley in Peoria on Oct. 2. UNI has won its last ten matchups with the Braves.
The Panthers will look to make history and continue two of the longest active winning streaks in Division I volleyball this weekend. UNI has won 68 consecutive matches against conference opponents overall, one shy of tying its own program and MVC record. Northern Iowa has also won 60 straight regular season matches against MVC challengers, the second-longest streak in team history. Both streaks are the longest active streaks in Division I.
At home, the Panthers have won their last 18 home matches, posting a 53-5 record in the last four-plus seasons inside the McLeod Center (.913). Along with 18 straight wins inside the McLeod Center dating back to last season, UNI's last loss to an MVC opponent came in the 2022 regular season finale at Drake.
Last weekend, the Panthers put together complete performances in 3-0 sweeps at home against Valparaiso and UIC. Against the Beacons, Northern Iowa posted its most efficient offensive showing of the season with a season-best .364 team hitting percentage, with reigning MVC Player of the Year Cassidy Hartman leading the charge with 13 kills and only one attack error, Calia Clubb adding 12 kills and Lily Dykstra 11 terminations. Against UIC last Saturday, UNI put on a defensive show against the Flames' high-powered defense, racking up nine total blocks, including six from Maryn Bixby. Dykstra led the Panthers with 15 terminations, while the UNI defense was balanced with a team-high nine digs each from Jadyn Petersen, Dykstra and Hartman.
Hartman currently sits 19th on UNI's all-time kills list (1,172) and looks to become the 18th player in team history to reach 1,200 career kills. The two-time MVC Player of the Week honoree this year is also 95 digs shy of 1,000 for her career and joining the program's elite double grand club. Junior setter Reese Booth notably sits 35 assists shy of 2,000 for her career, while Dykstra is 96 kills away from 1,000 in her career. Head coach Bobbi Petersen is also five MVC regular season victories away from 400 for her career.
The Panthers are among the nation's top statistical leaders this season, ranking first in Division I in team attacks per set (38.8), third in digs per set (17.7), fourth in opponent hitting percentage (.135) and 17th in assists per set (13).Â
Hartman ranks tenth in the nation with 11.6 attacks per frame and 24th in kills per set (4.2) and 37th in total attacks (771). Dykstra sits just behind Hartman in the MVC with the league's second-most kills per set (4.1).
Booth sits in the top-40 in the country with 10.2 assists per frame, while Petersen is ninth in Division I in digs per set (5) and 32nd in total digs (333). Grace Hannam is also fourth in the MVC with 69 total blocks.
Northern Iowa's elite blocking defense has stepped up to the plate through 19 matches this season. The Panthers have posted at least seven blocks in all but two matches this year, including seven matches with ten or more blocks.Â
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SCOUTING EVANSVILLE
The Purple Aces visit Cedar Falls amid a difficult season at 4-16 and 1-7 in conference play, having lost their last five matches, including a pair of 3-1 home losses to Illinois State and Belmont last weekend.
Led by second year head coach Zach Weinberg, Evansville boasts 11.8 kills per set and a .208 hitting percentage, while its serving unit has produced 106 total aces on the year, fifth-most in the MVC.
Lyla Fisher and Wren Jones both lead the Purple Aces' offense with 2.5 kills per frame each, while Ryan Scheu leads Evansville's blocking defense with 41 total stops at the net.
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SCOUTING BRADLEY
The Braves have stayed hot since falling to the Panthers back on Oct. 2 in Peoria with a 4-1 record in their last five outings, including three consecutive wins over Belmont, Indiana State and Southern Illinois.
Head coach Alicia William's squad has averaged 12.7 kills per set this season, with Gracie Furling leading the charge with 3.6 kills per frame, as well as a league-best 795 total attack attempts.
Maria Drapp, the reigning MVC Setter of the Year who did not play in UNI's previous matchup with Bradley, has dished out 9.9 assists per set, second in the league only to Booth's 10.2 assists per frame. Saturday will also see round two of Booth facing off against her sister, Hayden.
On defense, the Braves challenged Northern Iowa with 15 blocks last time out, with Adeline Goedgeer, the MVC's leading blocker with 87 total blocks posting 11 stops earlier this month against the Panthers.
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UNI volleyball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Volleyball), X (@UNIVolleyball) and on Instagram (@univolleyball). The full 2026 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
