The Panthers spring season came to an end this weekend as they traveled to Iowa City’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena to face Iowa State, Drake, Western Illinois and Iowa in volleyball action. The Panthers split their games on Saturday, claiming wins over Drake and Western Illinois. 

UNI commenced the competition by taking on the Iowa State Cyclones. The Panthers had two very competitive sets against their in-state rivals. The first game ended in a barn burner as the Cyclones barely edged out the Panthers 26-24. UNI looked to capture the second game after the loss to Iowa State, but the Cyclones proved too much to defeat. The Cyclones closed the series by finishing the second game with a 25-20 score. 

The next competition for the Panthers would be their conference and in-state rivals in the form of the Drake Bulldogs. UNI took it to their rivals right away, throwing the Bulldogs off of their game in the early phases of the competition. The Panthers won the first game by a margin of six points as they won 25-19. The Panthers showed even more tenacity in the second match against Drake as they beat them by 11 points, showing no mercy to their opponents. The Panthers ultimately won 25-14, concluding their series against Drake, giving a possible preview of what may come in the fall season. 

The next challenge for the Panthers was the Western Illinois Leathernecks. The team kept up the same energy as they had in their previous game. The Panthers were in control for the majority of both matches. The Panthers knew what they needed to do and got the job done against the Leathernecks. UNI won the first match 25-19 in a somewhat close game. The Panthers dominated the second match, 25-16, to ensure their victory over Western Illinois. 

The final match of the day was against the University of Iowa Hawkeyes. The Panthers stayed on pace with the team for the majority of the match. The two teams dueled it out, continually trying to one-up one another and widen the gap on their opponent. The Panthers gave it their all but ultimately lost the first set with a score of 25-20 in favor of the Hawkeyes. The next set would be even closer as the Panthers looked to force a third. The Hawkeyes closed the set by two points with a final score of 25-23 to conclude the action for the day. 

The Panthers had a great spring season, having great competition against opponents from all over the country. If this spring season is a sign of what to come for the Panthers in the fall season, the rest of the NCAA needs to be on watch as the Panthers may be ready to prove they’re still one of the top mid-major volleyball programs in the country.