UNI volleyball opened its weekend of Missouri Valley Conference play at home in the McLeod Center with back-to-back sweeps over Evansville and Bradley.
The Panthers started strong Friday night against the Evansville Purple Aces. After a tight opening stretch, UNI found its rhythm with a 5-0 scoring run and an ace from Taryn Rice to take a 15-8 lead. Rice finished the match with five kills, eight digs and two blocks, while Isabelle Elliott added four kills to help the Panthers close out a statement 25-17 win in the first set.
Momentum continued for UNI in the second set as the Panthers opened with a 5-1 run. UNI held Evansville to a negative hitting percentage and led for all but one point. Maryn Bixby tallied three blocks, while Lily Dykstra, Cassidy Hartman and Bixby each added three kills. The Panthers never looked back, cruising to a 25-14 victory to go up 2-0 in the match.
Northern Iowa jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the third set before Evansville fought back. The Aces threatened late, but UNI’s blocking game proved too much. Bixby’s late ace sealed the deal as the Panthers completed the sweep with a 25-18 win.
The next day, UNI faced the Bradley Braves in match two of the weekend. The Panthers came out firing, scoring eight of the first 10 points, including service aces from Bixby, Sydney Golden and Jadyn Petersen, to take an early 13-4 lead. Bradley clawed back to within two at 17-15, but a service ace from Petersen helped fuel UNI to a 25-18 set win and a 1-0 match lead.
The offense kept rolling in the second set as the Panthers opened with a 7-1 run. Hartman led the way with six kills, while Bixby added five kills and three blocks. Strong attacking off the block helped UNI pull away for a 25-15 win to go up 2-0.
The final set saw a brief early deficit for UNI, trailing 3-2 before an 8-0 run swung momentum back in its favor. Hartman and Molly Shafer each recorded five kills, while Elliott and Kaitlyn Sellner added two apiece. The Panthers dominated the rest of the way, taking a commanding 25-12 victory to complete the 3-0 sweep over Bradley.
With the weekend wins, UNI improved its conference standing and continued its impressive home form inside the McLeod Center.
