A hot start from Drake set the tone for the evening as they took a 3-1 win over Missouri State Friday evening at the Knapp Center.

The Bulldogs (9-12, 4-9 MVC) benefited from four early blocks to take a 5-1 advantage in set one. An ace by Haley Bush extended the Bulldog lead to 9-5. A 7-point run by Missouri State (14-13, 5-10 MVC) allowed the Bears to briefly gain the lead before an Emily Plock kill leveled the score at 14-14. That point set off a series of successful possessions with consistent defensive for Drake as the Bulldogs closed out set one winning 25-20.

Drake opened the second set taking an early 4-1 lead after a series of miscues from the Bears. Haley Bush, last year's MVC Player of the Year, connected on back to back kills to bring the Drake advantage to 12-6. The junior from Waukee, IA tallied 6 kills in the second set alone and Drake cruised to a dominating set two win 25-12.

The third set saw back and forth scoring as both teams traded kills. With the score knotted at 9-9 Drake's Kacie Rewerts slammed home a kill following a stellar Kylee Macke dig and the Bulldogs started a stretch of three consecutive points. However, a late Missouri State rally led to them closing out a tightly contested third set 25-23.

Missouri State continued that momentum into the fourth set leading 8-2 early as the Bulldogs struggled to find their rhythm. Despite those early challenges the Bulldogs would steadily claw their way back into the set eventually leveling the score 13-13. A block by senior Mariana Rodrigues gave the Bulldogs their first lead of set four at 16-15. That turning point was enough to propel Drake to a 25-23 fourth set to win the match.
Drake was led by a match-high 22 kills from Bush and senior Lindsey Pliapol added 10. Transfer Madeline Holt led the Bulldogs with 27 assists.

The win broke a 19-match losing streak against Missouri State dating back to 2011. Drake's last win against the Bears was a 3-1 win in Springfield, MO on November 5, 2010, exactly 11 years to the day from tonight's victory.

Drake continues its homestand as Southern Illinois travels to Des Moines Saturday Nov. 6 for a 5:30 p.m. contest.