DES MOINES, IOWA ? The difference between winning and losing is often the little fundamentals which a team can overlook in the heat of competition. The Drake volleyball team appeared to have responded to the adversity of its season-opening setback to UMKC on Tuesday (Aug. 28) as the Bulldogs fired on all cylinders in a 3-0 (30-22, 30-23, 30-24) triumph over Green Bay in the opener of the Hampton Inn Invitational on Friday evening (Aug. 31) at the Knapp Center.
The Blue and White dominated the pace of play as the Bulldogs registered a .227 attack mark, while limiting the Phoenix to a .097 hitting percentage. Drake bettered in the Phoenix in kills (48-38), assists (44-35), service aces (3-1) and digs (62-52).
The victory squares the Bulldogs' ledger at 1-1 on the campaign, while keeping Green Bay from cracking the win column at 0-4.
“I was very pleased with our performance as we played consistent and steady throughout,” Drake head coach Amy Farber Knowles said. “Our focus tonight was staying very disciplined and playing our game.”
The Bulldogs executed their individual roles from the start of the match to its conclusion, as Drake didn't trail by more than three points the entire evening. The Blue and White rode momentum to 30-22 and 30-23 triumphs in game one and two, respectively, before recording 12 of the final 17 tallies in game three to overcome a 19-18 deficit to take the stanza, 30-24.
Turning in her second consecutive stellar performance was freshman
Angela Bys (Marion, Iowa/Marion), who registered a .400 attack mark en route to posting 11 kills. Senior
Samantha Nelson (Ceresco, Neb./Raymond Central) chipped in a match-high 13 kills, while freshmen
Mikayla Sims (Waterloo, Iowa/East) smacked down 10 kills.
The fuel that drove the Bulldogs' engine in their victory was a 24-dig performance from freshman
Alana Wittenburg (Readlyn, Iowa/Wapsie Valley). Her efforts allowed senior
Sarah Schuster (Indianola, Iowa/Indianola) to distribute a match-best 38 assists, en route to her fifth straight double-double as she added 11 digs. Joining Wittenburg and Schuster with double-digit digs was sophomore
Emily Madden (Van Meter, Iowa/Adel DeSoto Minburn), with 13.
Green Bay didn't have a player crack double-figures in kills but got solid contributions from Megan Elfering and Betty Slinger with 13 digs and 27 assists, respectively.
Drake continues action at the Hampton Inn Invitational on Saturday (Sept.1) as the Bulldogs battle Furman at 12:30 p.m. The Paladins opened tournament play with a 3-1 (15-30, 31-29, 30-17, 30-24) triumph over Florida Atlantic. Green Bay tangles with the Owls in the morning opener at 10:00 a.m.
