University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
5-5,0-0MVC
Wichita State
3-8,0-0American
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wichita St. | 23 | 18 | 15 | 0 |
| UNI | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
UNI volleyball sweeps Shockers in 2026 home opener
9/18/2026 8:57:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Panthers extend home winning streak to 13. UNI hosts Wichita State again on Saturday afternoon.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — UNI volleyball returned to the McLeod Center for the first time in the 2026 regular season, putting on a show in a three-set sweep of the Wichita State Shockers in non-conference action on Friday night.
Northern Iowa opened the final weekend of the non-conference portion of the season hitting .255 with 49 team kills, while also posting seven team blocks stifling the Shocker defense throughout the evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Panthers opened their first home contest of the year with strong momentum and offensive efficiency, leading for the majority of the opening frame. Wichita State found its rhythm with a strong blocking performance to tie the set up late at 21-21. UNI, despite six service errors, saw stellar play from both Cassidy Hartman and Lily Dykstra, with both recording seven kills each as the Panthers held on for a 25-23 set win.
Northern Iowa turned up the heat in the second stanza with a 7-1 run to open the set, with Reese Booth adding a service ace heading into the media timeout. UNI's blocking defense also stepped up in the second set with six total blocks, led by an impressive effort at the net by Grace Hannam with three blocks in a 25-18 win. The Panthers posted 16 team terminations on .250 hitting while holding the Shockers to .098 hitting.
In set three, the Panthers continued to roll with the offense recording 15 team kills on .297 hitting in a balanced effort, led by four kills each from Hartman and Dykstra, as well as a pair of terminations from Isabelle Elliott, Claire Munch and Hannam. UNI led the third frame from start to finish and built a lead as large as 13 points before finishing for a 25-15 set win and a sweep of the Shockers.
Dykstra finished the night with a match-high 17 kills on .302 hitting and a season-high blocks, while Hartman tallied 15 kills, ten digs and two blocks. Elliott posted a nine-kill performance with three blocks, as Booth notched a double-double with 30 assists and 14 digs. Jadyn Petersen also posted a double-double with 19 digs and a season-high 14 assists.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- UNI improves to 54-17-1 all-time against Wichita State. Friday marked the first time the Panthers and Shockers have met since 2017 when Wichita State departed the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) for the American Conference.
- Northern Iowa is now 16-11 in home opening matches under head coach Bobbi Petersen.
- The Panthers have now won 13 consecutive home matches dating back to last season.
- UNI went a perfect three-for-three in coaches challenges on Friday, improving to six-for-ten on the year (.600). Panther opponents are nine-for-14 (.642) in challenges on the year.
- Northern Iowa has now recorded seven or more blocks in all but one match this year.
- Sophomore middle blocker Kiana Landers made her collegiate debut on Friday in the third set, recording a pair of service attempts in the win.
- Cassidy Hartman jumped to 27th on UNI's all-time kills list with 1,062 career kills, passing Chris Lest (1988-91). Friday also marked Hartman's 48th career match with double-digit kill figures (eighth time this year), her 29th career double-double (sixth this year). She also surpassed 800 career digs in the match and extended her streak with at least two blocks in every match this year.
- Lily Dykstra posted her 38th career match with ten or more kills (eighth this year) as well as her fifth career double-double (third this year).
- Reese Booth has now recorded a double-double in five consecutive matches, including 20 for her career and eight this season.
- Jadyn Petersen tallied her third career double-double and second of the season on Friday. The Panther libero has committed just one receiving error on 154 attempts this season (.994 reception percentage).
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action on Saturday afternoon as they host Wichita State in their second match of the weekend series. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT at the McLeod Center with live coverage available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network (Varsity app only for this match).
Tickets for the match can be purchased online through the UNI Ticket Office or by calling 319-273-4849. Fans can receive free admission to the match by donating a non-perishable food item valued at $5 or more at the gate.
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.
