University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
1-1,0-0MVC
Loyola-Chicago
0-2,0-0Atlantic 10
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNI | 25 | 17 | 18 | 25 | 16 | 3 |
| Loyola Chicago | 22 | 25 | 25 | 8 | 14 | 2 |
UNI volleyball storms back to top Loyola-Chicago in five sets
8/29/2026 4:37:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Panthers dominate fourth set to rally from two sets to one deficit at Hilton Coliseum.
AMES, Iowa — The UNI volleyball team pulled out all the stops on Saturday afternoon, rallying from down two sets to one to defeat the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers in five sets in its second match of the Cyclone Invitational at Hilton Coliseum.
In a match where the Rambler's block defense often stifled the Panther attack, Northern Iowa capitalized on big offensive performances from Isabelle Elliott, Lily Dykstra and Cassidy Hartman to defeat its former Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) rival in the second match of the young 2026 season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UNI and Loyola-Chicago opened the match splitting the first 20 points of the first set before the Panther offense opened up for a two-point lead. The Ramblers would respond with a 6-4 run of their own for the lead, but Northern Iowa, led by a combined 13 kills from Dykstra and Elliott, would reclaim the lead for good with seven straight points. Holding off a late Loyola-Chicago rally, UNI would take the first frame by a score of 25-22, recording a .387 hitting percentage with 17 team terminations.
Northern Iowa opened the second stanza with a 4-0 run, but would struggle to crack the Rambler offense and blocking defense as Loyola-Chicago stormed back with a 7-0 run. The Panthers struggled with 11 attack errors and a -.125 hitting clip in the second set with the Ramblers evening the match with a 25-17 set win.
The third frame began with another early Panther lead, but Loyola-Chicago would rally back to tie the match at 5-5, 8-8 and 9-9 before taking the lead for good with a 3-0 run at 10-10. UNI was held to a .077 hitting percentage with 12 kills and nine attack errors despite closing the gap down two points in a 25-18 loss.
Northern Iowa flipped the script with a seismic shift of momentum in the fourth set, scoring the first four points of the frame off Rambler attack errors and building a 10-1 lead, which included a 6-0 scoring run. The Panthers rattled off 17 team terminations with zero attack errors on .486 hitting, led by eight kills from Elliott and three a piece from Hartman and Dykstra for a dominant 25-8 win.
Both the Panthers and Ramblers dug deep in the winner-take-all fifth set as Loyola-Chicago jumped out to a 6-4 lead. Taryn Rice would tie the set up a 6-6 with a service ace with Elliott again tying the frame up at 10-10 on a kill. The Ramblers would stave off match point from the Panthers, but UNI would finish the match on back-to-back Loyola-Chicago errors to take the final frame 16-14 and the match.
Elliott finished the day with a career-high 21 kills on 48 attempts, with Dykstra notching 18 terminations and Hartman 11 kills and 15 digs for a double-double. Reese Booth also recorded a double-double performance with a career-high 45 assists and team-high 16 digs, plus two service aces. Claire Munch recorded a season-best seven terminations, while Grace Hannam posted four blocks and 13 digs by Jadyn Petersen.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI improves to 23-4 all-time against Loyola-Chicago, snapping a four-game skid against the Ramblers. Saturday marked the first meeting between the programs since Loyola-Chicago's departure from the MVC to the Atlantic-10 Conference following the 2021-22 season.
- Northern Iowa is now 3-0 in its last three five-set matches. The went 2-0 last season in five setters against Illinois State (MVC Tournament) and Utah (NCAA Tournament).
- Cassidy Hartman recorded her first double-double of the season and 22nd of her career. The reigning MVC Player of the Year is now 88 kills shy of becoming the 32nd player in school history to reach 1,000 career terminations.
- Reese Booth posted her 13th career double-double in UNI's win over the Ramblers.
- Lily Dykstra notched her second match of the year with ten or more kills, including four straight contests dating back to last season. Dykstra has now recorded 28 career matches with 10+ terminations
- Jadyn Petersen surpassed 500 digs for her career in Saturday's match.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action on Sunday afternoon when they take on in-state rival Iowa in their final match of the Cyclone Invitational. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT at Hilton Coliseum with live coverage available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network (106.5 Corn Country / 93.5 HD-2 / 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.
