University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
4-4,0-0MVC
Rice
5-3,0-0American
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNI | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Rice | 18 | 20 | 23 | 0 |
UNI volleyball sweeps Rice in Houston
9/12/2026 6:12:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Panthers secure first true road win of 2026 in sweep of Owls. UNI takes on No. 5 Louisville on Sunday.
HOUSTON — UNI volleyball's offense clicked while its defense stood strong on Saturday as the Panthers secured a 3-0 sweep over the Rice Owls in their second match of the Rice Invitational at Tudor Fieldhouse.
Despite challenges at the service line, Northern Iowa hit a season-best .310 on offense, racking up 50 total kills with four players notching eight or more terminations.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UNI jumped on Rice from the opening serve, leading the first set from start to finish behind 17 team kills on .325 hitting. Lily Dykstra led with seven terminations in the opening frame with a block each from Isabelle Elliott and Maryn Bixby in a 25-18 set victory.
Northern Iowa's offense continued to hum in the second stanza with the Panthers hitting .375 with 16 team kills and just one attack error. Dykstra added another seven kills to her total, while UNI's blocking defense stepped up with Cassidy Hartman, Maryn Bixby and Grace Hannam all combining for four blocks, plus a Taryn Rice service ace in a 25-20 win.
Rice put up a fight against the Panthers in the third set, taking the lead on a 6-0 scoring run before UNI closed the gap again. Elliott's production picked up in the final frame on both offense and defense as Dykstra evened the set up at 20-20 late. With a strong blocking performance late, Hannam and Elliott combined for back-to-back blocks on the final two points of the match, slamming the Owls' comeback attempt shut in a 25-23 win for the sweep.
Dykstra finished the day with a match-high 20 kills with a season-best .409 hitting percentage, including ten digs for a double-double performance. Elliott posted nine terminations with four blocks in the win, with Bixby recording eight kills and five blocks, including a career-best three solo blocks. Hartman tallied eight terminations against Rice and 13 digs, with five blocks from Hannam, with Reese Booth notching a 35 assist, 13 dig double-double and Jadyn Petersen posting a team-best 16 digs.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI improves to 6-0 all-time against Rice with Saturday's win.
- Saturday's match marks the fourth time the Panthers recorded ten or more blocks this season. Northern Iowa has posted seven or more blocks at the net in all seven matches this season.
- Lily Dykstra posted her seventh career match of 20+ kills on Saturday, her third of the season. She also tallied her fourth career double-double in the win (second this season).
- Reese Booth notched her 18th career double-double against the Owls, her sixth of the season. Booth also moved up to 13th on UNI's all-time assists list with 1,577 assists, passing Erin Hirsch (2000-02, 2004).
- Cassidy Hartman improved to 27th on Northern Iowa's all-time kills list, passing Shari Vermeer (2000-04) with her 1,034th career kill.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action on Sunday afternoon as they take on No. 5 Louisville in their final match of the Rice Invitational. First serve is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT at Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston 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.
