The Drake University volleyball team plays its first Missouri Valley Conference road match of the season Monday when it travels to Loyola. First serve between the Bulldogs and Ramblers is set for 6 p.m. on ESPN3.

The Bulldogs opened the MVC season by going 1-1 over the weekend with a 3-2 win over Indiana State and 3-1 loss to Evansville at the Knapp Center. Loyola opened its league campaign with a win over Valparaiso.

Freshman Haley Bush led Drake with 42 kills on the opening weekend, including 25 in the five-set win over Indiana State. She is currently fifth in the MVC in kills per set with 3.96 and already has 206 kills this season. Bush has led a group of newcomers that have accounted for 43.3 percent of the Bulldogs' points this season.

Setter Paige Aspinwall has responded to the Bulldogs' recent shift in offenses with back-to-back double-doubles including 41 assists and a career-high 20 digs in the win over Indiana State. In that win over Indiana State, Gillian Gergen notched a career-high 11 blocks as Drake had 14 team blocks. However, against Evansville, the Bulldogs only blocked four attacks. Drake is currently third in the MVC in blocks with more than two per set.

The Bulldogs are 3-3 against the Ramblers in Chicago with three wins in the last four trips to Gentile Arena. The two teams split last year's series with each team winning on the road.

Following Monday's match, the Bulldogs continue MVC play with a weekend series at SIU and Missouri State.