DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake University women's basketball team opens the 2019-20 regular season Friday night against 2019 Sweet 16 participant South Dakota State at 6 p.m. inside the Knapp Center.
 
Following Friday's game, Drake has a fast turnaround as in-state rival Iowa State visits the Knapp Center Sunday afternoon for a 2 p.m. game presented by Broadlawns Medical Center. Both games are part of the Bulldogs' Military Appreciation Weekend with members of the military eligible to receive up to four free tickets by showing their military ID at the Drake Athletic Ticket Office. Fans can purchase tickets here, at the Drake Ticket Office or by calling 515-271-3647(DOGS).
 
There are several TGIF Concession Deals for the SDSU game with $1 Hot Dogs, $1 Popcorn, $1 Soda (16 oz. only) and $2.50 slices of pizza available all game. Prior to Friday's game against South Dakota State, Drake's 2019 Missouri Valley Conference Championship banner will be unveiled and following the game will be the team's usual postgame autographs session. Sunday's game is a "Blue Out" with the first 1,000 fans receiving a commemorative pennant.
 
South Dakota State and Drake are playing for the third consecutive season as the Bulldogs look to end a two-game losing streak in the matchup. The Jackrabbits advanced to the 2019 Sweet 16 with victories over Quinnipiac and Syracuse. Iowa State opens its season Thursday night against Southern. The home team has won each of the past four season in the in-state series.
 
Next week, Drake plays its third-straight 2019 NCAA team when it visits South Dakota on Nov. 13 at 7 p.m.
 
Previewing the Bulldogs
Drake won its third-straight Missouri Valley Conference regular season title in 2018-19. It was the first three-peat in program history and just the fifth in MVC history. Drake qualified for its third-consecutive NCAA Tournament, the 13th time the Bulldogs made the tournament. This season, Drake is looking to make its fourth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance, which has never happened in school history.
 
Seniors Becca Hittner and Sara Rhine are set for their final seasons at Drake. Last season, the decorated duo became just the second set of teammates to lead the Valley in scoring with Hittner at a league-best 19.7 points point per game and Rhine next at 18.3 points. Rhine with 1,654 career points and Hittner with 1,565 points will each strive for 2,000 career points, joining just four in program history and eight in MVC history to reach the impressive 2,000-point mark. Hittner, the back-to-back Jackie Stiles MVC Player of the Year, can become just the third MVC player to win the award three times. Brenni Rose is the other senior for Drake. Rose appeared in every game last year and was third on the team in assists with 107.
 
The three seniors along with Hannah Fuller and Maddie Monahan are Drake's five returners with the most game experience. Fuller played in 33 games last season while Monahan started every game. Monahan was second on the team in assists with 120. They're joined by Monica Burich, a Colorado transfer who played in every game her first season as a Bulldog, Mya Mertz, who returned in 2018-19 after missing the previous season due to injury and sophomores Maggie Negaard and Allie Wooldridge who each earned significant playing time in their first season.
 
Rounding out the roster are Division I transfers, Grace Berg and Kierra Collier, who came to Drake from Missouri and Washington, respectively. A local standout from Indianola, Berg transferred from Missouri, where she played in 19 games and averaged 3.8 points, 1.7 rebounds and 12.7 minutes per game. Collier sat out 2018-19 after one season at Washington.  A 5-6 point guard from Kansas City, Mo., Collier, played in 25 games with 14 starts for the Huskies in 2017-18. She averaged 6.6 points, 2.1 assists, 1.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game and earned Pac 12 All-Freshman Team honorable mention honors. Three freshmen, Maggie Bair, Sarah Beth Gueldner and Taylor McAulay round out the 2019-20 roster. Bair, a 6-3 power forward, is from Glen Ellyn, Ill., Gueldner is a 5-9 guard from Olathe, Kan. and McAulay is a 5-11 guard from Lino Lakes, Minn.