University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
Drake
Panther volleyball opens MVC title defense Tuesday at Drake
9/21/2026 11:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
UNI leads Division I in team attacks per set heading into first conference matchup on the road.
UNI volleyball (6-5 / 0-0 MVC) at Drake (5-7 / 0-0 MVC)
- Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026
- 6 p.m. CT
- Des Moines, Iowa | Knapp Center (7,152)
- WATCH (ESPN+) [Larry Morgan: Play-by-Play / Jamie Steyer-Johnson: Analyst)
- LISTEN (Panther Sports Radio Network) [Chris Kleinhans-Schulz: Play-by-Play]
- LIVE RESULTS
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CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- The UNI volleyball team begins defense of its four-year Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) title run on Tuesday night as the Panthers open league play on the road against in-state rival Drake.
First serve against the Bulldogs is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT at the Knapp Center with live coverage available on ESPN+, and live radio coverage on the Panthers Sports Radio Network (106.5 Corn Country / 93.5 HD-2 / Varsity app) with Chris Kleinhans-Schulz on the call.Â
A rematch of last year's MVC Tournament championship, Northern Iowa and Drake meet for the 114th time with the Panthers leading the all-time series, 96-16-2 with nine straight wins in the series. Tuesday will also pit two of the conference's all-time winningest coaches against one another in MVC all-time wins leader Bobbi Petersen for UNI (641 victories) and Drake's Darrin McBroom (215 victories).Â
The Panthers have been dominant in MVC openers going 23-3 under Petersen. UNI has won its last five conference openers, including eight of its last nine and 16 of 18.
Northern Iowa's conference opener serves as an opportunity for the Panthers to continue a remarkable streak in league play. UNI has won 52 straight regular season MVC contests, including 60 in a row against conference opponents in the regular season and postseason, the longest active streak in Division I.
The Panthers begin the 20-match MVC slate after sweeping a pair of contests against Wichita State in their home opening weekend inside the McLeod Center. Lily Dykstra led the Panther offense with 5.14 kills per set in both matches while hitting .361 on the weekend, while Maryn Bixby anchored the UNI defense with a team-high nine blocks. Northern Iowa's service game posted a breakout performance in its second match against Wichita State, recording 13 aces at the line, including a career-high six aces from libero Jadyn Petersen.
In UNI's second win over the Shockers, Coach Petersen also earned her 641st career victory, becoming the winningest coach in UNI history for a coach with a single program. Pete Mazula's 695 combined dual wins for men's and women's tennis are the most by a coach all-time in university history.
The Panthers are among the nation's top statistical leaders early in the season, ranking first in Division I in team attacks per set (39.4), fifth in digs per set (17.3) and 30th in total digs (710).Â
The dynamic offensive duo of Dykstra and reigning MVC Player of the Year Cassidy Hartman has been the heartbeat of the Panther attack this season. UNI is 5-2 this year when both hitters record ten or more kills in a match, and 23-5 when doing so since both arrived on campus in 2023. Hartman ranks fifth in the nation with 12.3 attacks per frame, 11th in both total attacks (507) and kills per set (4.4) and 12th in total kills (184).
Booth sits in the top-50 in the country in total assists (409) having recorded a double-double in six straight matches, while Petersen is 22nd in Division I in digs per set (4.6) and 49th in total digs (192). Middle blocker Grace Hannam is also second in the MVC with 46 total blocks.
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SCOUTING DRAKE
The Bulldogs open the MVC schedule amid a four-match skid after falling to Wright State and Michigan State in straight sets last Friday in East Lansing at the Kathy DeBoer Invitational. Drake notably won the Kansas City Tournament two weeks ago with victories over Utah Valley, Radford and Kansas City.
Led by 14th year head coach Darrin McBroom, the Bulldogs were picked second behind UNI in the MVC preseason poll with one first-place vote.
Drake, like Northern Iowa, brings a solid backrow defense to the floor, ranking in the top-20 in Division I with 15.8 digs per set, led by Jasmine Dulan, who leads the league and is third in the nation with 5.7 digs per frame.
The Bulldogs are also very swing heavy with 35.7 attacks per set, with Bliss Beck leading the charge with a .353 hitting percentage on the year.
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UNI volleyball action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Volleyball), X (@UNIVolleyball) and on Instagram (@univolleyball). The full 2026 schedule and roster, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.
