AMES — The UNI volleyball team dug itself out of a two-sets-to-one hole Saturday and stormed past Loyola-Chicago in five sets, earning its first victory of the 2026 season at the Cyclone Invitational.
Northern Iowa defeated the Ramblers 25-22, 17-25, 18-25, 25-8 and 16-14 at Hilton Coliseum, bouncing back after opening the season Friday with a straight-set loss to Georgia Tech.
Isabelle Elliott powered the comeback with a career-high 21 kills, while Lily Dykstra added 18 kills and Cassidy Hartman finished with 11 kills and 15 digs.
The Panthers started well, breaking away from a 10-10 tie in the opening set and eventually using a seven-point run to seize control.
UNI hit .387 in the first frame with 17 kills and held off a late Loyola-Chicago rally for a 25-22 victory.
Momentum swung dramatically in the second set.
Northern Iowa opened with four consecutive points, but Loyola-Chicago answered with a seven-point run. The Panthers committed 11 attack errors and hit minus-.125 as the Ramblers cruised to a 25-17 win.
Loyola-Chicago carried that momentum into the third.
UNI held several early leads, but the Ramblers repeatedly fought back before taking control following a 10-10 tie. Northern Iowa managed only a .077 hitting percentage in the set and fell 25-18, leaving the Panthers one set away from their second loss in as many matches.
Then UNI erupted.
The Panthers scored the first four points of the fourth set and quickly built a staggering 10-1 advantage.
Northern Iowa finished the frame with 17 kills and did not commit a single attack error, hitting .486 in a 25-8 demolition that forced a deciding fifth set.
Elliott was nearly unstoppable during the turnaround, pounding eight kills in the fourth set alone. Hartman and Dykstra chipped in three kills apiece.
The deciding set was considerably tighter.
Loyola-Chicago grabbed a 6-4 advantage before Taryn Rice tied the score at 6-6 with a service ace.
The teams continued trading punches, with Elliott delivering a kill to tie the set at 10-10.
UNI eventually reached match point, but the Ramblers refused to go away. Northern Iowa finally ended the battle when back-to-back Loyola-Chicago errors gave the Panthers a 16-14 victory and completed the comeback.
Elliott’s career-best 21 kills came on 48 attacks.
Dykstra’s 18 kills marked her second consecutive match with at least 10 kills this season and extended her streak to four straight double-digit-kill performances dating back to last year.
Hartman’s double-double was her first of the season and the 22nd of her UNI career. The reigning Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year now sits 88 kills shy of becoming the 32nd player in Panther history to reach 1,000 career kills.
Reese Booth also recorded a double-double, setting a career high with 45 assists while collecting a team-best 16 digs and two service aces.
Claire Munch contributed a season-high seven kills, Grace Hannam finished with four blocks and Jadyn Petersen collected 13 digs while surpassing 500 career digs.
The victory improved UNI’s all-time record against Loyola-Chicago to 23-4 and snapped a four-match losing streak against the Ramblers.
Saturday was the first meeting between the former Missouri Valley Conference rivals since Loyola-Chicago departed the league for the Atlantic 10 following the 2021-22 season.
UNI has now won three consecutive five-set matches dating back to victories over Illinois State in last season’s MVC Tournament and Utah in the NCAA Tournament.
The Panthers entered the season with major expectations after being picked to win a fifth consecutive Missouri Valley Conference championship.
Northern Iowa now gets an immediate shot at another in-state opponent.
UNI will face Iowa at 2 p.m. Sunday at Hilton Coliseum in the Panthers’ final match of the Cyclone Invitational. The match will be available on ESPN+ and the Panther Sports Radio Network.
The Hawkeyes also opened their season on a winning note, sweeping Army in straight sets Friday night.