GREEN BAY, WIS. - The run of victories for the Drake volleyball team to begin the 2008 season came to an end on Saturday (Sept. 6) as Northern Arizona parlayed a .286 hitting percentage into a 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 28-26) victory over the Bulldogs in the afternoon session of the Green Bay Country Inn and Suites Classic.

The loss snapped Drake's six-match winning streak and dropped the Bulldogs to 6-1 on the campaign, while the Lumberjacks improved their ledger to 4-1 with the triumph. 

The 6-1 start is the best for Drake since beginning the 2003 season with victories in seven of its first eight tilts.

“We made too many poor decisions on the court as a team and it cost us,” Drake head coach Phil McDaniel said.  “We didn't execute our game plan and that made the match very rough for us.”

Sophomore Alana Wittenburg (Readlyn, Iowa/Wapsie Valley) turned in a stellar effort from her libero position registering a match-high 20 digs, while adding five assists.

Sophomore Angela Bys (Marion, Iowa/Marion) led the Bulldogs with 17 kills, while juniors Emily Madden (Van Meter, Iowa/Adel DeSoto Minburn) and Chelsea Lauersdorf (Watertown, Wis./Watertown) contributed 12 digs and 36 assists, respectively.

The Bulldogs garnered advantages in the affair in kills (45-43), assists (45-41) and digs (60-50), but were hurt at the net where Northern Arizona collected a nine blocks to only two from Drake.

The Bulldogs close out tournament play against Fresno State at 5:00 p.m.