Wyoming 3 Drake 0 - Saturday, August 31, 2013

LARAMIE, Wyo. – The University of Wyoming volleyball team swept the Drake University volleyball team, 3-0 (25-15, 25-23, 25-18), in the final match of the 2013 UniWyo Wyoming Invite.

Junior Amanda Platte (Mount Vernon, Iowa) paced the Drake (1-3) offensive attack with 12 kills, while sophomore Cassie Effken (Lincoln, Neb.) and freshman Makena Schoene (Seattle, Wash.) added eight kills each. Platte added three digs and two blocks.

Senior libero Sarah Madden (Van Meter, Iowa) finished with 19 digs and was named to the UniWyo Wyoming Invite All-Tournament team. Madden tallied 74 digs during the tournament for a 4.93 digs per set average.

Wyoming (4-0), a big, physical team, overwhelmed Drake in the opening set forcing eight attack errors to just seven kills for the Bulldogs. The Cowgirls held a 15-5 advantage after a kill by Kayla Sloffkiss and kept the Bulldogs at bay on their way to a 25-15 win in set one. Platte had three kills in the frame.

The Cowgirls scored five straight points to start the second set as the Bulldogs struggled with errors. However, Drake settled in and stayed within three points of Wyoming even taking a 23-22 lead after a kill by Effken. The Cowgirls answered the Bulldogs run with three straight points to take the set, 25-23. Platte blasted a set-high six kills, while Schoene had five kills.

In the final set of the night, Wyoming recorded 14 kills and had three service aces, on their way to the 25-19 win to capture the tournament title. Effken had a strong final set for the Bulldogs finishing with five kills and one attack error.

“There were signs of the team we want to be and can be this weekend,” said head coach Darrin McBroom. “Wyoming put the pressure on us tonight and we made too many unforced errors. It was hard to recover from those and they are playing very well. On the positive side we had outstanding moments by a lot of our freshman off the bench this weekend. Makena (Schoene) had a great night for us in her debut.”

“I'm really excited about this upcoming home tournament,” said McBroom. “We are looking for the right combination of players to put it all together to be the competitive I believe we can be. We will get better as we continue to practice working to correct some things that were exposed this weekend.”

Drake returns to the Knapp Center next Friday, September 6 to host the 2013 West Des Moines Sheraton Drake Invitational. The Bulldogs are set to host DePaul, Eastern Illinois and South Dakota State in the tournament. Eastern Illinois and South Dakota State start the action on Friday at 5 p.m. with Drake and DePaul closing the evening session at 7 p.m.

Idaho 3 Drake 1 - Saturday, August 31,2013

LARAMIE, Wyo. - The Idaho volleyball team beat the Drake volleyball team, 3-1 (25-14, 30-28, 20-25, 26-24), this afternoon at the UniWyo Wyoming Invite.

Freshman Samantha Meyers (Grundy Center, Iowa) of Drake (1-2) had a match-high 15 kills along with eight digs and two blocks, while sophomore Cassie Effken (Lincoln, Neb.) and junior Amanda Platte (Mount Vernon, Iowa) finished with 14 and 12 kills, respectively. Effken added a match-high nine blocks.

The Vandals came out fast in the opening set holding a 10-7 lead early, which forced the Bulldogs to burn their first timeout of the match. Drake had no answer the rest of the set as Idaho built an 18-11 advantage before the Bulldogs had to use their final timeout. The Vandals cruised the rest of the way to the opening set victory, 25-14.

Drake rebounded in the next set staying within just a few points of Idaho before tying the score at 22-22 after a kill by Platte. The teams traded points as the set continued and there were four ties, the last at 28-28, after another kill by Platte. However, the Vandals pulled away for the set win scoring the next two points to win 30-28.

Down two games to none, the Bulldogs responded in the third set as a kill by Effken gave Drake a 17-15 lead. After Effken's smash the Bulldogs scored four of the next five points to take a 21-16 lead, which forced the Vandals to use a timeout. Drake kept the pressure on as they closed out its first set win, 25-20. Meyers closed out the win with back-to-back kills.

In the fourth set, Drake didn't lead until very late in the frame when a Vandals' attack error gave the Bulldogs a 24-23 lead. The Bulldogs had trailed 23-18 before ripping off six straight points to go ahead and looked poise to force a deciding fifth set. However, Idaho stopped the comeback with three straight kills to give them the final set, 26-24, and the match victory.

Katelyn Peterson of Idaho (2-1) finished with 14 kills, while Alyssa Schultz had 12 kills and six blocks.

Drake closes the 2013 UniWyo Wyoming Invite tonight with its final scheduled match against the host's the Wyoming Cowgirls. First serve is set for 8 p.m. CST.