DES MOINES, IOWA - The No. 17 has held special significance for the Drake women's volleyball team all season long as its 3-1 (25-16, 25-15, 23-25, 25-21) victory over Indiana State in Missouri Valley Conference action on Friday (Oct. 23) at the Knapp Center gave the Bulldogs their 17th win of the season, thus ensuring them of their first winning season since 1996.

Drake extended its winning streak to six straight matches, including four consecutive triumphs in league play en route to moving to 17-7 overall and 6-4 in MVC affairs.  Indiana State saw its ledger fall to 6-17 on the year and 2-8 in league contests.

The Bulldogs four straight wins in the MVC represented its longest winning streak in conference play since 1996.

"It certainly feels good to get win No. 17 and to do so at home over a team that beat us earlier in the year on their home court," Drake head coach Phil McDaniel commented.  "It wasn't our prettiest of wins tonight, but it certainly was a good solid defensive effort."

The match served as the Bulldogs' Dig for the Cure event to raise breast cancer awareness as Drake played the contest on a court adorned with pink tape marking the court.

The Bulldogs dominated the first two games attacking the ball at .414 and .404 clips en route to posting 25-16 and 25-15 victories, respectively.

In the third game it was a different Drake team that emerged from the intermission as the Bulldogs' intensity and focus escaped them at key moments as the squad squandered a 12-4 lead and eventually fell in the frame, 25-23.  Indiana State bettered Drake on the strength of a .405 hitting percentage in the third game, while limiting the Bulldogs to a .200 attack mark.

In the deciding fourth stanza, there were 12 ties and six lead changes and it wasn't until a kill by junior Angela Bys (Marion, Iowa/Marion) with the score tied at 20 that Drake went ahead to stay in collecting a 25-21 decision.

Senior Chelsea Lauersdorf (Watertown, Wis./Watertown) was the rock that guided the Bulldogs in triumph collecting a career-high seven service aces to go along with 34 assists and eight digs.

"Chelsea's a very solid leader on court as she runs the show and she has a commanding presence on the court which showed this evening," McDaniel stated.

Drake got strong offensive production in the affair from Bys, senior Emily Madden (Van Meter, Iowa/Adel DeSoto Minburn), redshirt freshman Emily Heffernen (Manchester, Iowa/West Delaware) and junior Alisa DeBerg Roth (Hudson, Iowa/Hudson) registering 13, 13, 12 and eight kills, respectively.

"We got some great offensive contributions from Emily (Madden), Angela (Bys), Emily (Heffernen) and Alisa (DeBerg Roth)," McDaniel said. 

The Bulldogs finished the evening striking the ball at a .333 clip, while limiting the Sycamores to a .250 attack mark.

Madden registered her second double-double of the year with a 13-kill, 12-dig performance.  Lauersdorf chipped in a team-high 34 assists, while junior Alana Wittenburg (Readlyn, Iowa/Wapsie Valley) netted 19 digs.

Wittenburg will enter Drake's match with Illinois State on Saturday (Oct. 24) needing 10 digs to surpass Brandy Ossian (1,455/1993-96) for top honors in school history.

Indiana State garnered double-figure kills from Jodilynne Stoker (15) and Stacy Qualizza (11), while Kiya James and Whitney Fromm posted 14 and 12 digs, respectively.

The Bulldogs bettered the Sycamores in kills (57-54), assists (51-49), service aces (12-3), digs (58-52) and blocks (10.0-4.0).

"It feels good to know we'll finish above .500 as this group hasn't been there before but we're not ready to stop there," McDaniel explained.  "We'll take it as far as we can but it is a nice relief to get another monkey off our back."

The path down that road begins on Saturday (Oct. 24) as Drake hosts Illinois State at 7:00 p.m.