University of Northern Iowa Athletics
University of Northern Iowa
3-2,0-0MVC
Utah Valley
0-5,0-0Big West
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah Valley | 20 | 21 | 17 | 0 |
| UNI | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
UNI volleyball sweeps Utah Valley in Vermillion
9/4/2026 6:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Panthers roll to 3-0 victory over 2025 WAC champions. Northern Iowa faces South Dakota on Saturday.
VERMILLION, S.D. — Five Panthers finished with five or more kills, with Isabelle Elliott, Cassidy Hartman and Lily Dykstra all posting ten-plus terminations on Friday afternoon as the UNI volleyball team rolled to a 3-0 sweep over the Utah Valley Wolverines in its second match of the 2026 South Dakota Classic.
Northern Iowa's balanced attack that produced 46 total team terminations with a .243 hitting percentage and .683 side out percentage also saw another strong defensive effort with ten team blocks, topping double-digits for a third straight match.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Panthers jumped out to a strong start out of the gate against the Wolverines, trailing for just three total points in the first frame before breaking a 6-6 tie. Led by four kills a piece by Maryn Bixby and Grace Hannam, who added two blocking in the opening frame, UNI stretched its lead to as many as five points thanks to .220 team hitting and 16 team terminations en route to a 25-20 set win.
Northern Iowa would seize the lead in the second stanza after a Lily Dykstra ace on the third point of the frame, after which the Panthers would not relinquish the lead. Hitting .281 with 15 team kills along with three blocks, UNI kept Utah Valley in check offensively and kept its own attack balanced throughout the frame en route to a 25-21 win and two set lead.
UNI once again overcame a small, early deficit in the third frame and cruised to victory with its most commanding set performance of the day, hitting .235 with 15 terminations as a team. The Panthers racked up five blocks defensively and built a nine-point lead late in the frame, closing the afternoon out with a 25-17 victory to complete the three-set sweep.
Elliott finished the day with a match-high 12 kills and season-best four blocks, with both Hartman and Dykstra finishing with ten terminations each and a season-high four blocks and seven digs for Hartman as well. Hannam set a new career-high mark for kills with six while adding five blocks in the win, with Maryn Bixby tallying five terminations and three blocks. Reese Booth posted 39 assists, as Jadyn Petersen notched 17 digs, with eight digs from Taryn Rice.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Friday's match marked the first all-time meeting between UNI and Utah Valley in women's volleyball.
- Cassidy Hartman sits 26 kills shy of becoming the 32nd player in program history to reach 1,000 career kills. The reigning Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Player of the Year recorded her 36th career match with ten or more terminations on Friday, and second such match of the season.
- Lily Dykstra notched her 29th career match of ten-plus kills and third of the year, while Isabelle Elliott tallied her seventh career ten-plus kill match, her first of the 2026 season.
- Maryn Bixby made her season debut in Friday's match after missing the first four matches of the year due to injury. Bixby led the Panthers with 119 total blocks in 2025.
- Grace Hannam has now posted five or more blocks in each of her last three matches.
- Sophie Buysse recorded her first career service ace on Friday, coming in the third set.
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to action on Saturday when they take on South Dakota in their final match at the South Dakota Classic. First serve is scheduled for 2 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.
