ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The Drake University volleyball team has been picked to finish eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference according the league's annual preseason poll. Defending champion Wichita State was projected as the top team as voted on by the league's coaches.
The Bulldogs enter their fourth season under head coach Darrin McBroom as the program continues its upward trend with five returning starters from the 2015 season.
Last season, the Bulldogs finished with a 15-20 record and a 6-12 record in MVC action to narrowly miss earning an MVC Tournament berth in seventh place. The team's 15 wins were its most since the 2010 season and the team returns three hitters that recorded more than 200 kills last season.
Junior Kyla Inderski (Urbandale, Iowa) leads that group after posting 350 kills in 2015 as did senior Makena Schoene (Seattle, Wash.). Sophomore Grace Schofield (Mundelein, Ill.) also returns after an impressive freshman season in which she notched 249 kills. Setter Chandelle Davidson (Gretna, Neb.) also returns at setter after posting 591 assists while splitting time at the position. The team's defense is bolstered by veteran libero Michelle Thommi (Omaha, Neb.) who led the team in digs with 453 in 2015.
Added to that group are five talented newcomers that McBroom anticipates will continue to elevate the Bulldogs' on-court performance as the season progresses.
The team begins the 2016 campaign on Aug. 26 with the first of four games at the Florida Atlantic Tournament in Boca Raton, Fla. There the Bulldogs will face Northeastern, North Florida, Bethune-Cookman and host Florida Atlantic. The team's home schedule begins on Aug. 30 against South Dakota State for a 6 p.m. match at the Knapp Center.
2016 MVC Preseason Poll
Rank Team (1st-place votes), Points
1. Wichita State (7), 97
2. Missouri State (1), 85
3. Southern Illinois (1), 82
4. UNI (1), 72
5. Illinois State, 57
6. Loyola, 50
7. Indiana State, 41
8. Drake, 33
9. Bradley, 18
10. Evansville, 15
