EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Drake University volleyball team opened Missouri Valley Conference competition in thrilling fashion with a 3-2 win at Evansville on Friday, Sept. 23.
Kyla Inderski (Urbandale, Iowa) led three Bulldogs in double-figure kills with 19 as Drake hit .310 in the fifth set to secure the win. Michelle Thommi (Omaha, Neb.) keyed a critical defensive effort with a career-high 34 digs, including a flurry of match-saving digs in the decisive fifth set.
The Bulldogs faced an 8-5 deficit in the fifth set before back-to-back kills from Odessa Cody (Chicago, Ill.) put the Bulldogs up 10-9. Evansville would briefly re-take the lead but tremendous effort by Drake to keep the match alive via great defense allowed Inderski to tie the match on a kill at 13-13 while the freshman, Audrey Boyles (Tempe, Ariz.) had a great block at the net to give the Bulldogs a 14-13 lead. Following an Evansville timeout, Cody put the match away with a kill for the 15-13 set win to give Drake the 3-2 victory.
Drake opened the match by rallying from a late deficit to score four unanswered points to win the first set, 26-24. Back-to-back errors from the Aces gave Drake the set, but not before kills from Inderski and Boyles tied the match at 24-24. Earlier in the set, Drake faced a 17-13 deficit to force the Bulldogs to take a timeout. The changes in the huddle paid dividends via a 5-0 run to put the Bulldogs on top thanks to a kill from Grace Schofield (Mundelein, Ill.).
Drake opened the second set with an early 13-10 lead and later held a 17-15 lead before six straight points from the Aces put the home team up, 22-17. From there, Evansville cruised to the 25-19 set win.
The third set was tightly contested throughout with Drake being just a point away from set point at 24-19. However, the Bulldogs could not slow a late flurry from the Aces as a 7-0 would erase that lead and give UE a 26-24 win and a 2-1 lead in the match. Rocio Fortuny scored two of those points for UE while three-straight errors from the Bulldogs sealed the set for the Aces.
Drake evened the match in convincing fashion in the fourth set, 25-16, and closed the set on a 9-2 run behind Inderski's serving to force the fifth set.
Drake will have little time to savor the victory as they travel to Carbondale, Ill., on Saturday to take on SIU at 7 p.m. The contest will be broadcast via The Valley on ESPN3.
