Panther volleyball hosts Purple & Gold Scrimmage Sunday inside McLeod Center

UNI volleyball (0-0-0 / 0-0-0 MVC) | Purple & Gold Scrimmage

Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026
3 p.m. CT
McLeod Center (6,650) | Cedar Falls, Iowa

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The four-time defending Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) champion UNI volleyball team will kick off its 2026 preseason competition schedule this weekend as the program holds its annual Purple and Gold Scrimmage.

First serve is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT at the McLeod Center with the contest free and open to the public.

East concourse concessions will be open for fans to purchase food, snacks and beverages, while UNI volleyball gear will also be sold in the arena as well. Spectators are reminded that the McLeod Center enforces a clear bag policy. To learn more about the policy, click HERE.

UNI begins the 2026 season in search of its fifth consecutive MVC regular season championship having won 69 of its last 70 regular season conference matches dating back to the 2022 season. The Panthers have gone unbeaten in league play in the last three seasons and look to tie their own Valley record with a fifth straight regular season crown after previously doing so from 1998 to 2002. Northern Iowa is also in search of its second MVC Tournament five-peat after winning six straight conference tournament crowns from 1998 to 2003.

Ten-time MVC Coach of the Year Bobbi Petersen enters her 27th season at the helm of the UNI volleyball program, having led the Panthers to unprecedented success in her quarter century plus as head coach. Petersen is tied for 49th among active Division I head coaches with 635 career wins (all at UNI), while also ranking tenth on the all-time Division I wins list. Under Petersen, the Panthers have captured 13 MVC regular season titles, 13 MVC Tournament championships and made 19 NCAA Tournament appearances, earning 13 victories in the big dance, along with a pair of Sweet Sixteen appearances in 2001 and 2002.

Northern Iowa returns the vast majority of its 2025 roster, returning 16 players and five all-conference performers. Cassidy Hartman, the reigning MVC Player of the Year along with fellow outside hitter Lily Dykstra enter their senior seasons both ranked in the top-100 in Avid Volley's preseason watchlist. UNI also returns First Team All-MVC middle blocker Maryn Bixby, as well as second team honoree in defensive specialist/libero Jadyn Petersen and All-Freshman Team hitter Isabelle Elliott. The Panthers welcome two high school signees from out of state in Illinois libero Maggie Michaels and South Dakota setter Claire Munch.

The Panthers' 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 compete in three non-conference tournaments at Iowa State, South Dakota and Rice with two home matches against Wichita State before its 16-match MVC slate.

The Panthers finished the 2025 campaign with a 26-6 record and perfect 16-0 mark in league play. UNI earned its 27th NCAA Tournament berth by virtue of its 21st MVC Tournament championship, with a first round victory coming against Utah in Omaha, Nebraska.

The Panthers will continue preseason play with two exhibition matches at St. Thomas on Aug. 15 in St. Paul, Minnesota, and again on Aug. 22 at home against Omaha. Northern Iowa kicks off the 2026 regular season on Friday, Aug. 28 at the Cyclone Invitational in Ames against Georgia Tech.

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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