University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
1-2,0-0MVC
Iowa State
2-1,0-0Big 12
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNI | 18 | 18 | 25 | 34 | 1 |
| Iowa St. | 25 | 25 | 21 | 36 | 3 |
Panther volleyball falls short of comeback at Iowa State
8/30/2026 5:13:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
UNI staves off seven match points in fourth set, but falls to Cyclones in four sets.
AMES, Iowa —The UNI volleyball team took the Iowa State Cyclones down to the wire in a marathon fourth set, but ultimately came up just short of forcing a fifth frame in a 3-1 loss to its in-state rival on Sunday at Hilton Coliseum in the final match of the Cyclone Invitational.
Led by a career offensive performance from reigning Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Player of the Year Cassidy Hartman, Northern Iowa wrestled a narrow third set win away from ISU and extended the fourth frame by 22 points.
The Panthers finish the Cyclone Invitational in third place after an opening weekend win over Loyola-Chicago on Saturday, and losses to champion Georgia Tech (Friday, 3-0) and Iowa State (Sunday, 3-1).
HOW IT HAPPENED
Iowa State pounced on the UNI out of the gate hitting .400 in the first frame slicing through the Panther defense. While Northern Iowa was able to score off six Cyclone service errors, the Panthers were unable to establish consistent momentum with seven terminations on .143 hitting in a 25-18 set loss.
The Panthers made the early second stanza a competitive set, overcoming an early 4-0 deficit to pull within one point on a Hartman ace and tying the frame up at 10-10 on an ISU attack error. Iowa State would storm back on the backs of a .294 hitting set with 14 kills to rebuild its lead and roll to a second 25-18 win over the Panthers, who finished with nine terminations on .065 hitting.
Northern Iowa stood its ground in a highly competitive third set, grabbing a 5-2 lead and never looking back. Led by ten kills from Hartman, and 18 total team terminations on .310 hitting, the Panthers withstood a furious ISU rally that tied the frame up at 21-21 before UNI scored the final four points for a 25-21 set victory.
A marathon fourth set saw 20 ties and seven lead changes as the Panthers looked to extend the match to a fifth set. With Iowa State's block defense presenting early challenges in a back-and-forth frame, Northern Iowa would rally from down four points to take a four-point lead on an 8-0 run, featuring an ace from Claire Munch for a 22-18 lead. After failing to close out the set themselves, the Panthers staved off seven Cyclone match points in the extended frame, but couldn't stave off an eighth as ISU secured the match on a video review to take the set 35-33 over the Panthers.
Hartman finished the match with a match and career-high 27 kill performance, along with ten digs for a double-double. Isabelle Elliott notched eight terminations with Munch seven kills and Lily Dykstra six terminations. Reese Booth recorded a 37 assist, 11 dig double-double outing, with Grace Hannam showing out at the net with a career-high seven blocks in just her third collegiate match. Jadyn Petersen would lead the Panthers with a team-high 18 digs.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI leads the all-time with Iowa State 36-33 after Sunday's loss. The win by the Cyclones was their first over the Panthers since 2021.
- Cassidy Hartman's 27 kills not only marked a new career-high mark, but also her seventh career match with 20+ kills. Hartman also notched her second double-double of the year on Sunday and 23rd of her career.
- Hartman is also now 64 kills shy of 1,000 for her career.
- Reese Booth posted her second consecutive double-double performance, the 14th of her career.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action on Thursday, Aug. 3 at the South Dakota Classic in Vermillion against Air Force. First serve is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center with live coverage available on Midco Sports Plus 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.
