University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Belmont
11/4/2026 11:22:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Panthers to honor seniors in final regular season homestand with MVC title up for grabs. Tickets now available for purchase.
UNI volleyball (18-5 / 12-0 MVC) vs. Belmont (14-9 / 11-1 MVC)
- Friday, Nov. 6, 2026
- 6 p.m. CT
- Cedar Falls, Iowa | McLeod Center (6,650)
- WATCH (ESPN+) [Brad Wells: Play-by-Play / Jay Grassley: Analyst]
- LISTEN (Panther Sports Radio Network / 106.5 Corn Country / Varsity Network app) [Chris Kleinhans-Schulz: Play-by-Play]
- LIVE RESULTS
- TICKETS
UNI volleyball (18-5 / 12-0 MVC) vs. Southern Illinois (10-14 / 4-8 MVC)
- Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026
- 5 p.m. CT
- Cedar Falls, Iowa | McLeod Center (6,650)
- LISTEN (Panther Sports Radio Network / Varsity Network app) [Chris Kleinhans-Schulz: Play-by-Play]
- LIVE RESULTS
- TICKETS
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CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The UNI volleyball team will close out its 2026 regular season home schedule this weekend with a pair of marquee matchups against the Belmont Bruins and Southern Illinois in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) action, with the opportunity to clinch yet another league championship on senior weekend.
First serve for Friday's match against Belmont is set for 6 p.m. CT inside the McLeod Center, with the Panthers and Salukis slated for a 5 p.m. CT first serve on Saturday.Â
Live television coverage can be found on ESPN+, with live audio coverage available on the Panther Sports Radio Network. Due to home football crossover, only Friday's match will be televised. Additionally, due to UNI men's basketball's road game coverage at Furman on 106.5 Corn Country, Saturday's audio coverage will be online at unipanthers.com/watch and through the Varsity Network app only.
Fans can purchase tickets for this weekend's matches through the UNI Ticket Office or by calling 319-273-4849.
Spectators in attendance on Friday will be treated to a Bobbi Petersen "Bobbi-Head" giveaway for the first 500 fans through the doors, as well as a $1,000 student scholarship giveaway. Eligibility rules for the scholarship drawing can be found HERE.
Saturday promotions include a White Out with a white shirt available while supplies last, free admission for both active duty and retired military personnel (with a valid military ID) and buy one get one tickets for senior citizens (aged 65+). Panther football fans can also use their football tickets from Saturday for free admission to Saturday's volleyball match. A full list of Panther Promotions can be found HERE.
Northern Iowa will also honor its five seniors in Calia Clubb, Kaitlyn Sellner, Taryn Rice, Cassidy Hartman and Lily Dykstra following Saturday's contest.
UNI leads the all-time series with Belmont with a perfect 6-0 record, while leading Southern Illinois 71-13 in the all-time series. The Panthers defeated the Salukis back on Oct. 10 in Carbondale by a 3-1 score, one of only three sets UNI has dropped in MVC play this season. Northern Iowa is riding a 14-match winning streak and has won its last 20 matches at home, tied for the 12th longest home winning streak in team history.
The Panthers look to extend their program and MVC record winning streaks of 72 consecutive conference wins (regular season and postseason) and 64 straight MVC regular season victories another weekend. Both streaks currently lead Division I volleyball, with the Panthers' last MVC loss coming in the 2022 regular season finale at Drake.
A pair of Panther victories this weekend would not only give UNI its fifth straight 20+ win campaign, but would also secure at least a share of the MVC's regular season title for a fifth consecutive season. UNI can clinch the MVC title outright with a pair of wins this weekend, plus a Belmont loss at Drake on Saturday.
Additionally, head coach Bobbi Petersen will look to continue her legendary career record as she sits one conference win shy of 400 for her career.
The Panthers faced stiff road challenges in identical 3-1 wins at Indiana State and Evansville last weekend, moving to a 12-0 start to league play for a fifth straight year. UNI's offense has hit over .300 as a team in five of its last six outings.
For her stellar play in Indiana last weekend, Dykstra was named MVC Player of the Week for a second time this season on Monday, notably recording consecutive 20-kill performances against both the Sycamores and Purple Aces. UNI has earned at least one MVC weekly honor in all but one week this season.
Hartman currently sits 15th on UNI's all-time kills list (1,204), while also sitting 62 digs shy of 1,000 for her career and joining the program's elite double grand club. Dykstra meanwhile is 32 kills away from 1,000 in her career.Â
The Panthers are among the nation's top statistical leaders this season, ranking second in Division I in opponent hitting percentage (.137), fourth in digs per set (17.1), seventh in kills per set (14.1), eighth in team attacks per set (37.7) and ninth in assists per set (13.1).Â
Defensive specialist/libero Jadyn Petersen ranks ninth in Division I with 4.9 digs per set, while Hartman is 24th in the nation in attacks per set (11.3) and 25th in kills per frame (4.2). Dykstra sits just behind Hartman in the MVC with the league's second-most kills per set (4.2) and 27th in the country with 11.2 attacks per frame, with setter Reese Booth sitting in the top-30 in the country with 10.4 assists per frame.
Northern Iowa's elite blocking defense has stepped up to the plate through 23 matches this season. The Panthers have posted at least six blocks in all but one match this year, including eight matches with ten or more blocks. Maryn Bixby leads the blocking defense with 82 total blocks on the year, along with 79 blocks from Grace Hannam.
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SCOUTING BELMONT
Belmont carries a six-match winning streak into Friday's contest, its only match against UNI in the regular season this year. The Bruins topped Drake in four sets and edged UIC in five frames last weekend at home.
Led by second head year coach Fritz Rosenberg, Belmont tied for fourth in the MVC preseason poll, but has now defined itself as one of the league's best teams, securing a top-two seed for the upcoming conference tournament.
Brenna Kauffeld leads the Bruin offense with 2.7 kills per set, with Sydnee Nelson and McMullen both averaging 2.3 terminations per frame. McMullen also leads Belmont with 78 total blocks and an MVC-best .392 hitting percentage. Defensively, Mya Bolton has posted four digs per set and a team-high 25 service aces.
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SCOUTING SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
The Salukis come to Cedar Falls having dropped five of their last six matches after falling to UNI on Oct. 10 at home. SIU currently sits outside of the MVC Tournament qualifying window, tied with Valparaiso for sixth at 4-8 in league play.
In the last matchup with the Panthers, head coach Brittany Harry's squad challenged UNI with six blocks, but allowed Northern Iowa to hit .310 for the match and dish out six aces.Â
A solid defensive team in the back row, Jullian Shaneyfelt leads the Salukis with 4.4 digs per set, while Beatriz Piaia leads the MVC with 101 total blocks. Offensively, McKenzie Moeller leads SIU with 2.7 kills per set, while Ella Swansiger adds 2.6 kills per frame and Ella McFarland adds a team-high 29 aces.
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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.
