University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
2-2,0-0MVC
Air Force
1-2,0-0Mountain West
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNI | 23 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Air Force | 25 | 20 | 17 | 22 | 1 |
Panther volleyball powers past Air Force in four sets
9/3/2026 6:50:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Hartman, Booth and Petersen all record double-doubles to open 2026 South Dakota Classic.
VERMILLION, S.D. — Cassidy Hartman and Lily Dykstra posted 20 kills each on Thursday afternoon as the UNI volleyball team topped a scrappy Air Force squad in the opening match of the 2026 South Dakota Classic at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
With Northern Iowa recording a season-high 12 team blocks, the Panthers overcame a narrow two-point loss in the first set to sweep the next three frames for their second victory of the year. UNI tallied 69 total terminations on .252 hitting with double-double performances from Hartman, Reese Booth and Jadyn Petersen.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Air Force came out swinging in the first set against the Panthers with a .316 hitting percentage, led by six terminations from Alysa Walker. UNI would battle back in the middle of the set with a 4-0 scoring run to take a brief 17-16 lead as the opening frame went down to the wire. Despite the Panthers building a 21-18 lead that included a Petersen service ace, the Falcons would storm back for a 25-23 set win.
Northern Iowa overcame an early Air Force lead using a 6-0 run to take a 12-10 lead on the Falcons. With the Panther defense slowing Air Force's high-powered first set attack, both Hartman and Dykstra surpassed double-digit kill totals in the second stanza as UNI hit .200 with 16 total kills, four blocks and a pair of aces from Booth en route to a 25-20 win.
The Panthers seized control in the third set, pulling away from the Falcons after a tight start to the frame. UNI's offense tallied 21 team terminations on .400 hitting to lead from 6-5 to the finish line. While Air Force was able to cut the Panther lead to three at 20-17, Northern Iowa scored the final five points of the frame for a 25-17 win and a 2-1 lead in the match.
After the Falcons jumped out to an early 5-1 lead in the fourth frame, UNI fought right back with a 6-0 run of its own, including three straight blocks from Claire Munch. In a set that featured nine ties and five lead changes, the Panthers, who hit .213 in the frame with 16 kills as a team, pulled away after breaking a 15-15 tie, holding off the Falcons down the stretch for a 25-22 win.
Hartman finished the match with 26 kills and a career-high 27 digs for UNI's first 20 kill, 20 dig match since 2023. Dykstra posted a career-best 59 attack attempts with new season-bests for kills (20) and digs (8), while Booth notched career-highs in kills (6), attack attempts (13) and assists (47), and tied her career-high with 17 digs, plus two aces. Peterson recorded a career-best 28 digs, plus a season-high 12 assists along with a pair of aces, with Grace Hannam posted four kills and a match-high six blocks. Munch also tallied seven kills and five blocks.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Thursday marked the first all-time meeting between UNI and Air Force in volleyball, as well as the first time the Panthers played a United States service academy in the sport.
- Cassidy Hartman notched the 32nd 20-20 performance in team history, the first for the Panthers since Kira Fallert in 2023 vs. TCU. Hartman notably posted the most digs by a Panther in a 20-20 match since Natalie Waters in Nov. 1993 against Illinois State (28).
- Hartman, who is now 35 kills shy of becoming the 32nd player in team history to reach 1,000 career terminations, also posted her eight career match (second this season) with 20+ kills, as well as her 26th career double-double (third of this season).
- Lily Dykstra's 20 kills marked her fifth career match of 20+ kills and first such performance of 2026.
- Reese Booth, recorded her 15th career double-double on Thursday (third this season) while also surpassing 500 career digs in the win.
- Jadyn Petersen's double-double against the Falcons was the second of her career, her first since Nov. 4, 2025 against Drake.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action on Friday when they take on Utah Valley in their second match at the South Dakota Classic. First serve is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center with live coverage available on Midco Sports Plus 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.
