University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
4-5,0-0MVC
Louisville
9-1,0-0ACC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| UNI | 11 | 17 | 23 | 0 |
Panther volleyball falls in 3-0 loss to No. 5 Louisville
9/13/2026 2:12:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Hartman, Dykstra lead offense in loss to top-five challenger. UNI hosts Wichita State next Friday and Saturday in home opening weekend.
HOUSTON — The UNI volleyball team faced a stiff challenge out of the gate and improved as the match continued, but ultimately fell short of taking a set from No. 5 Louisville on Sunday in a 3-0 loss to the Cardinals in its final match of the Rice Invitational at Tudor Fieldhouse.
In a match dominated by Louisville's stout blocking defense, Northern Iowa recording a team hitting percentage of .161 with 37 team kills following a difficult opening frame on offense.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Panthers struggled in the first set as Louisville bolted out of the gate with an 8-0 scoring run. UNI was plagued by eight attack errors and was blocked five times by the Cardinal defense, being held to just .026 hitting and nine team terminations, led by three kills from Cassidy Hartman and two a piece from Isabelle Elliott and Lily Dykstra in a 25-11 first frame loss.
Northern Iowa stabilized its attack on offense in the second stanza, recording 13 team kills on .290 hitting while cutting back on its attack errors. Grace Hannam and Dykstra teamed up for the Panthers' first block of the match to give UNI a 9-8 lead, but Louisville would storm back with a 12-4 run of its own to build a 20-13 lead, ultimately winning the set, 25-17. Both Hartman and Dykstra each led the Panthers with five kills each in the frame.
UNI gave the Cardinals all it could handle in the third set with the Panthers challenging Louisville early with eight ties through the first 16 points of the frame. Jadyn Petersen provides the Panthers' their lone service ace of the match to put Northern Iowa ahead 18-15, but UNI would struggle to slow the Cardinal offense late, which finished on a 4-0 run to take the final frame by a score of 25-23 over UNI.
Hartman finished the afternoon with a match-high 13 kills plus nine digs, while Dykstra tallied 12 terminations. Both Maryn Bixby and Elliott posted four kills each, with Reese Booth recording a 24 assist, 13 digs double-double. Defensively, Hannam recorded two blocks in the loss, with Petersen posting 11 digs.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI falls to 4-4 all-time against Louisville, with the Cardinals winning their fourth straight matchup in the series.
- Cassidy Hartman recorded her third match this season with ten or more kills, including her 37th career match doing so.
- Lily Dykstra tallied her fourth match of the season with ten-plus terminations and her 30th such match of her career.
- Reese Booth has now recorded a double-double in four consecutive matches, recording her seventh double-double of the season and 19th of her career. Booth also surpassed 1,600 career assists in the match.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action on Friday, Sept. 18 as they open their home schedule with the first of two consecutive home contests against Wichita State. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT at the McLeod Center with live coverage available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network (106.5 Corn Country / 93.5 HD-2 / Varsity app).
Tickets for UNI's home opening weekend can be purchased online through the UNI Ticket Office or by calling 319-273-4849.
Fans in attendance will be treated to free mini replica championship banners while supplies last.
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.
