LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Northern Iowa volleyball team suffered a 3-1 defeat against No. 4 Louisville on Saturday, marking their seventh match of the 2025 season.Despite a strong offensive showing,the Panthers were unable to overcome the Cardinals’ powerful attack.
UNI falls to 4-3 all-time against Louisville adn now holds a 25-96 record against AVCA top-25 ranked opponents. This loss is especially critically important as Northern Iowa seeks to re-establish itself as a competitive force against nationally ranked teams, with their last victory over a top-25 opponent coming in 2018 against No. 5 Kentucky. The Panthers will look to rebound quickly, facing No. 18 Creighton on Sunday afternoon.
Kate Shafer led the UNI offense with 22 assists, while Reese Booth contributed 20 assists. Jadyn Petersen anchored the defense with 17 digs. Cassidy Hartman recorded her 11th career double-double and fourth of the year, also reaching double-digit kills for the 11th time in her career and fourth time this season. Lily Dykstra continued her consistent performance, notching nine or more kills in all eight matches this season, and reaching ten or more kills for the 11th time in her career and fourth time this season.
Northern Iowa’s record against Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) opponents now stands at 16-11 including a 12-9 mark under head coach bobbi Petersen.
The Panthers will resume competition on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. CT against Creighton, with live coverage available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network (106.5 FM Corn Country / 93.5 HD-2). Fans can follow UNI volleyball action on Facebook (UNI Volleyball), X (@UNIVolleyball), and Instagram (@univolleyball), with the full schedule and roster available at UNIpanthers.com.
