DES MOINES, Iowa – The Southern Illinois Salukis rallied to beat the Drake Bulldogs, 3-1, in a Missouri Valley Conference volleyball match on Friday night (Oct. 10) at the Knapp Center. SIU won by scores of 22-25, 25-18, 25-22 and 25-19 to improve its record to 9-9 and 3-3 in the MVC, while Drake moves to 9-8 and 1-5 in the MVC.

Drake had three players, led by senior Amanda Platte (Mount Vernon, Iowa) with 12, finish with double figure kills. Junior Katie Dulek (Lenexa, Kan.) tallied 11 kills with zero attack errors, and a sterling .688 hitting percentage, while sophomore Makena Schoene (Seattle, Wash.) had 11. Dulek and Platte teamed up on several block assists as they each recorded five blocks, and Platte had 13 digs to have a double-double.

The teams battled in the opening set, which featured 10 score ties and three lead changes. Drake fought back from a 14-10 deficit to take a 20-18 lead late in the frame. Dulek extended the Bulldogs' lead to 24-20 before the Salukis answered with two consecutive points. After a quick timeout by Drake, sophomore Capris Quaites (Omaha, Neb.) secured the set with a kill as the Bulldogs won, 25-22. Drake smashed 15 kills with just four attack errors, and finished with a .268 hitting percentage.

Drake struggled in the next set as it found itself down 20-15 after a kill by Natalie Fredriksson. Andrea Estrada closed out the SIU victory in set two with a kill.

A kill by Platte and a service ace by Drake sophomore Chandelle Davidson (Gretna, Neb.) forced SIU to call a timeout with a 21-19 advantage late in the third set. Redshirt freshman Taylor Zant (Libertyville, Ill.) crushed a kill to pull Drake within two points at 24-22. However, Taylor Pippen's match point kill put the Salukis up two games to one.

The fourth set featured 11 score ties and three lead changes as Drake raced to an early 3-0 lead. The teams traded points after the opening run by the Bulldogs until Andrea Estrada's kill gave SIU a 20-16 lead. After a timeout by Drake, back-to-back points capped by Platte's final kill of the night, trimmed the deficit to 20-18 as the Salukis called a timeout. Out of the timeout, SIU scored five of the next six points to take the match with a 25-19 win.

Davidson recorded 28 assists and 13 digs to record her fourth career double-double. She added a match-high five service aces. Sophomore Nicole Woods (St. Charles, Ill.) and Zant each blasted seven kills.

Drake will host Evansville tomorrow night (Oct. 10) with first serve set for 7 p.m. at the Knapp Center.