UNI volleyball announces 2026 schedule

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The UNI volleyball team on Tuesday announced its 27-match schedule for the upcoming 2026 season, with non-conference tournament trips to Ames, Vermillion and Houston on tap.

Coming off their fourth consecutive Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) regular season and tournament championships, plus the program's 27th NCAA Tournament berth, the Panthers will seek their fifth straight regular season and tournament crowns for the first time since winning five consecutive regular season titles from 1998 to 2002, and six straight tournament championships from 1998 to 2003.

Season ticket renewals for the 2026 season are now on-going through July 6, while new season tickets will launch on July 7 with $75 tickets available arena wide. New season ticket deposits can be placed now for $50. Single-match tickets will go on sale at a later date.

New for the 2026 volleyball season will be the addition of courtside seating in the McLeod Center. Courtside season tickets for volleyball are $100 and include a $700 Ever Loyal Club donation. Parties interested in courtside seating can contact the UNI Ticket Office.

UNI Kids Club, as well as Young Alumni season tickets for UNI graduates within the past five years, will go on sale for $100 on June 15. Kids Club membership will cost $25.

For all ticket related questions, please contact the UNI Ticket Office at 319-273-4849. Click HERE for the McLeod Center seating chart.

To learn more about the Ever Loyal Club or to make a donation, visit supportthepanthers.com or contact the office by phone at (319) 273-2471 or contact HERE.

Northern Iowa's 2026 schedule features seven NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago (Louisville, Iowa State, Creighton, Georgia Tech, Loyola-Chicago, Utah Valley, Rice), including three reigning conference regular season champions in Creighton (Big East), Utah Valley (WAC) and Rice (American).

UNI will play three preseason matches ahead of the start of the regular season, including a home exhibition on Aug. 22 against Omaha. The Panthers' annual Purple and Gold Scrimmage, plus a road exhibition at St. Thomas, will be played on dates to be determined.

Northern Iowa's regular season will open on the road in-state as the Panthers visit Ames for the Cyclone Invitational, Aug. 28-30 with matches against Georgia Tech, Loyola-Chicago and Iowa State. UNI will then visit Vermillion for the South Dakota Classic, Sept. 3-5 to take on Air Force, South Dakota and Utah Valley.

The Panthers' rotating tournament with Creighton, Rice and Louisville will head to Houston Sept. 11-13 before UNI rounds out the non-conference portion of its schedule hosting Wichita State in back-to-back matches on Sept. 18 and 19.

League play will open for Northern Iowa on Sept. 22 with a road trip to Drake, followed by a home contest with Murray State on Sept. 26. The Panthers will visit both Bradley and Illinois State on Oct. 2 and 3 with Drake making its trip to Cedar Falls on Oct. 8. Following an Oct. 10 visit to Southern Illinois, UNI will entertain Valparaiso (Oct. 16), UIC (Oct. 17), Evansville (Oct. 23) and Bradley (Oct. 24) for its longest homestand of the season.

The final six matches of the season will include a Halloween weekend trip to Indiana State (Oct. 30) and Evansville (Oct. 31) ahead of UNI's final two home matches against Belmont (Nov. 6) and Southern Illinois, with a road trip to UIC (Nov. 13) and Valparaiso (Nov. 14) to close out the regular season.

The 2026 MVC Tournament will feature the league's top-six teams for on-campus matches, hosted by higher seeds, on November 18, 21 and 24.

UNI returns 16 athletes from the 2025 roster, including reigning MVC Player of the Year and AVCA Honorable Mention All-American Cassidy Hartman, along with fellow outside hitter Lily Dykstra, opposites Calia Clubb and Isabelle Elliott, setter Reese Booth, sister Molly and Kate Shafer, as well as defensive specialist Jadyn Petersen. The Panthers added two new freshmen in the offseason, including Maggie Michaels and Claire Munch.

2026 UNI VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE

TBD - Purple & Gold Scrimmage - TBA
TBD at St. Thomas (Exhibition) - TBA
Aug. 22 vs. Omaha (Exhibition) - 2 p.m. CT
Aug. 28 vs. Georgia Tech - 4 p.m. CT (Cyclone Invitational
Aug. 29 vs. Loyola-Chicago - 1:30 p.m. CT (Cyclone Invitational)
Aug. 30 at Iowa State - 2 p.m. CT (Cyclone Invitational)
Sept. 3 vs. Air Force - 4 p.m. CT (South Dakota Classic)
Sept. 4 at South Dakota - 7 p.m. CT (South Dakota Classic)
Sept. 5 vs. Utah Valley - 11 a.m. CT (South Dakota Classic)
Sept. 11 vs. Creighton - 3 p.m. CT (Rice Invitational II)
Sept. 12 at Rice - 4 p.m. CT (Rice Invitational II)
Sept. 13 vs. Louisville - 12 p.m. CT (Rice Invitational II)
Sept. 18 vs. Wichita State - 6 p.m. CT
Sept. 19 vs. Wichita State - 1 p.m. CT
Sept. 22 at Drake * - 6 p.m. CT
Sept. 26 vs. Murray State * - 1 p.m. CT
Oct. 2 at Bradley * - 6 p.m. CT
Oct. 3 at Illinois State * - 5 p.m. CT
Oct. 8 vs. Drake * - 6 p.m. CT
Oct. 10 at Southern Illinois * - 5 p.m. CT
Oct. 16 vs. Valparaiso * - 6 p.m. CT
Oct. 17 vs. UIC * - 5 p.m. CT
Oct. 23 vs. Evansville * - 6 p.m. CT
Oct. 24 vs. Bradley * - 5 p.m. CT
Oct. 30 at Indiana State * - 5 pm. CT
Oct. 31 at Evansville * - 5 p.m. CT
Nov. 6 vs. Belmont * - 6 p.m. CT
Nov. 7 vs. Southern Illinois * - 5 p.m. CT
Nov. 13 at UIC * - 6 p.m. CT
Nov. 14 at Valparaiso * - 5 p.m. CT
Nov. 18 - MVC Tournament (Opening Round) - TBA
Nov. 21 - MVC Tournament (Semifinals) - TBA
Nov. 24 - MVC Tournament (Championship) - TBA

* MVC match | Home matches in BOLD

UNI volleyball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Volleyball), X (@UNIVolleyball) and on Instagram (@univolleyball). Schedule and roster information, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.

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