Fresh off winning the Cal State Fullerton Titan Tournament title, the Drake University volleyball team continues its 2017 season at the James Madison Invitational this weekend. The Bulldogs begin play Friday at 3:30 p.m. CDT against Hampton followed by a 9 a.m. matchup on Saturday against Cornell and conclude the tournament at 6:30 p.m. against host, James Madison. 
 
Drake (3-1) opened its 2017 season last weekend with a trio of victories against Bryant, Fairleigh Dickson and host, Cal State Fullerton. Freshman Emily Plock (Altoona, Iowa) made an immediate impact in her debut as a Bulldog, finishing the tournament with 44 kills and 11 blocks while hitting .305. Plock's outstanding performance earned her MVC Freshman of the Week honors and tournament co-MVP. Paige Aspinwall (Dayton, Minn.) earned a spot on the all-tournament team after racking up 111 assists in four matches.
 
The Bulldogs are currently ranked 11^th in the nation for total digs with 275 and 14^th for total attacks with 599.
 
Drake will be challenged by host, James Madison who is coming off an undefeated performance at the JMU Classic last weekend as well as an appearance in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
 
Following the James Madison Invitational, the Bulldogs will host the Drake Invitational from Sept. 7-9 at the Knapp Center. Drake opens the tournament with their home opener on Sept. 7 against Omaha at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs will also face Southeast Missouri State and San Jose State on Sept. 8 at 3 and 7 p.m., respectively before concluding the tournament Sept. 9 against Montana at 3:30 p.m.