VERMILLION, SOUTH DAKOTA — Northern Iowa Panther volleyball shook off a narrow opening-set loss Thursday and powered past Air Force in four sets to open the 2026 South Dakota Classic.
UNI defeated the Falcons 23-25, 25-20, 25-17, 25-22 at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center, improving to 2-2 on the young season.
The Panthers entered 2026 picked to win a fifth consecutive Missouri Valley Conference regular-season championship, but their opening weekend included both a straight-set loss to Georgia Tech and a five-set comeback victory over Loyola-Chicago.
Cassidy Hartman delivered a monster performance against Air Force with 26 kills and a career-high 27 digs, becoming the first Panther since 2023 to record at least 20 kills and 20 digs in the same match.
Lily Dykstra added 20 kills and eight digs as Northern Iowa pounded out 69 kills and hit .252 for the match.
The Panthers also turned up the pressure at the net, recording a season-high 12 team blocks.
Air Force struck first.
The Falcons hit .316 in the opening set and rallied after UNI built a 21-18 advantage. Air Force closed the frame with a late surge to steal a 25-23 victory.
Northern Iowa responded quickly in the second set.
A 6-0 Panther run erased an early deficit and put UNI ahead 12-10. The defense began slowing the Air Force attack while Hartman and Dykstra both reached double figures in kills.
UNI finished the set with 16 kills, four blocks and two service aces from Reese Booth to claim a 25-20 victory and even the match.
The Panthers took control in the third.
Northern Iowa hammered 21 kills while hitting .400 and led from 6-5 onward. Air Force managed to trim the lead to 20-17, but UNI slammed the door by scoring the final five points for a 25-17 win.
Air Force made another push in the fourth, jumping ahead 5-1.
UNI answered with six straight points, a run highlighted by three consecutive blocks from Claire Munch.
The set featured nine ties and five lead changes before Northern Iowa finally broke away from a 15-15 deadlock.
UNI recorded another 16 kills and held off the Falcons down the stretch for a 25-22 victory to close out the match.
Hartman’s 26-kill, 27-dig effort marked the 32nd 20-kill, 20-dig performance in UNI volleyball history. Her 27 digs were the most by a Panther in such a match since Natalie Waters collected 28 against Illinois State in 1993.
Hartman also recorded her 26th career double-double and moved within 35 kills of becoming the 32nd player in Northern Iowa history to reach 1,000 career kills.
Dykstra’s 20 kills were a season high and marked the fifth 20-kill performance of her career.
Booth turned in another big all-around match, producing career highs with six kills, 47 assists and 13 attack attempts while tying her career best with 17 digs. She also served two aces and recorded her 15th career double-double.
Jadyn Petersen piled up a career-high 28 digs and season-high 12 assists for the second double-double of her career.
Grace Hannam led the Panthers at the net with six blocks while adding four kills. Munch finished with seven kills and five blocks.
Thursday’s match was the first-ever volleyball meeting between Northern Iowa and Air Force and marked the first time UNI had faced a United States service academy in the sport.
The Panthers return to the court Friday against Utah Valley in their second match of the South Dakota Classic.
First serve is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center in Vermillion.