Following a stretch of five matches in eight days, the Drake University women's volleyball team returns to the road this weekend in search of two more conference wins.
The Bulldogs take on Bradley Friday at 7 p.m. in Peoria, Ill., before making the short trip to Illinois State Saturday for a 7 p.m. start.
Last week Drake (19-6, 8-3 MVC) dropped three sets to Valparaiso before rebounding to sweep Loyola at home. In that win, Drake hit a stout .298, its third highest percentage of the season and highest in an MVC game. The Bulldogs' win against Loyola gave the team its 19
th win this season, the team's most since 2010. Moving into this weekend the Bulldogs will look to reach the 20-win and secure the Bulldogs sixth 20-win season in program history.
Freshman
Natalie Fry (Allen, Texas) picked up 15 kills over the weekend after hitting .471 against Valparaiso, while junior
Cathryn Cheek (Coppell, Tex.) led the Bulldogs against Loyola with 17 kills. Both are also part of a defense, at the net and in the backcourt, that continues to be nationally ranked. Drake's defense is ranked fourth in the NCAA in total digs (1,746) and seventh in digs per set (18.57) and have held their conference opponents to a .173 hitting percentage. Drake is also in the top four in blocks in conference games while freshman
Gillian Gergen (Janesville, Iowa) leads the league in blocks in MVC games.
The Bulldogs won a hard fought five-set match earlier this season against Illinois State (14-10, 7-4 MVC) at the Knapp Center before sweeping Bradley (9-16, 2-9 MVC), 3-0. The Redbirds sit in fourth place in the conference standings, just one game behind Drake. Drake will be tested against Courtney Pence, who ranks second in the country in total digs (559) and an Illinois State defense who has held opponents to an MVC best .155 hitting percentage. Meanwhile, a resurgent Bradley squad is coming off a 3-2 win over SIU a day after taking MVC leader Missouri State to five sets before falling to the Bears.
Following the road trip Drake returns home to face Indiana State and Evansville Nov. 3 and 4.
