UNI volleyball fans will have 12 opportunities to watch the defending Missouri Valley Conference champions play at home during the upcoming season.

The Panthers' 2019 schedule was released by UNI athletic officials on Wednesday, along with information on when season tickets would be available for purchase.

The team's home schedule features nine MVC matches, starting with the league-openers against Evansville on Sept. 27 and Indiana State on Sept. 28. UNI will close the regular season, hosting Loyola-Chicago and Valparaiso on Nov. 22 and 23.

UNI is also hosting an annual tournament involving Creighton, Kentucky and USC that rotates among each team. This year's event is Sept. 6 and 7 at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls.

The Panthers start their 2019 season on the road with back-to-back matches against national powerhouse Texas, Texas State and Liberty. The Aug. 30 match at No. 5 Texas, which advanced to the regional finals of the 2018 NCAA Tournament, will feature a rivalry of siblings who graduated from Dike-New Hartford High School.

Bobbi Petersen / Courtesy: UNI Athletics
Bobbi Petersen / Courtesy: UNI Athletics
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Family Reunion

Sydney Petersen earned the starting libero spot in the Longhorns' line-up as a freshman last season and led Texas with 362 digs (3.58/set) and service aces with 23 (0.23/set). Her sister Baylee Petersen is an outside hitter for UNI, who played in 31 matches and 94 sets last year. Baylee and Sydney are the twin daughters of UNI Head Coach Bobbi Petersen.

The Panthers travel to Ames for their annual in-state match against Iowa State on Sept. 10, before ending their non-conference slate with a pair of tournaments at Missouri and Marquette.

UNI is coming off a 24-10 season that saw two top 20 wins over No. 13 Creighton and No. 5 Kentucky. The Panthers won a share of the MVC regular season championship and won the MVC Tournament. With the conference tournament title, the Panthers advanced to the NCAA Tournament for 23rd time in program history and the 14th time during Bobbi Petersen’s tenure as head coach.

The Panthers lost seniors Piper Thomas, Kendyl Sorge and Lexi Astor to graduation. They return MVC First Team members Rachel Koop and Karlie Taylor, along with Second Team members Kate Busswitz and Jaydlin Seehase.

Season tickets for UNI volleyball matches go on sale on May 6 for just $49. For more information, contact the UNI ticket office at 319-273-4849.

2019 SCHEDULE - DATE/OPPONENT:

*Home in Bold

  • Aug. 30, Texas
  • Aug. 31, Texas State, Liberty
  • Sept. 6-7, UNI Tournament (UNI, USC, Kentucky, Creighton)
  • Sept. 10, Iowa State
  • Sept. 13-15, Missouri Tournament, (Missouri, Missouri-Kansas City, Boise State, Austin Peay, UNI)
  • Sept. 20-21, Marquette Tournament, (Marquette, Wisconsin-Green Bay, St. Louis, UNI)
  • Sept. 27, Evansville
  • Sept. 28, Indiana State
  • Sept. 30, Valparaiso
  • Oct. 4, Missouri State
  • Oct. 5, Southern Illinois
  • Oct. 11, Bradley
  • Oct. 12, Illinois State
  • Oct. 18, Drake
  • Oct. 21, Loyola
  • Oct. 25, Indiana State
  • Oct. 26, Evansville
  • Nov. 1, Southern Illinois
  • Nov. 2, Missouri State
  • Nov. 8, Illinois State
  • Nov. 9, Bradley
  • Nov. 15, Drake
  • Nov. 22, Loyola
  • Nov. 23, Valparaiso
  • Nov. 28-30, Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, TBD

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