The Basics
Drake volleyball returns to action tomorrow night with a mid-week match at UNI. The Bulldogs and Panthers will renew their rivalry at 6 p.m. in Cedar Falls. Tuesday's match will have massive MVC implications as the Panthers are currently atop the conference standings and Drake is close behind in second.
Bulldogs by the Numbers
Drake is now 14-5 overall and 5-1 in MVC action after a pair of home sweeps in their last weekend of action. The Bulldogs won back-to-back matches over Illinois State and Bradley without dropping a set. Drake's 5-1 start in Valley play is its best start to the conference season since beginning the 2017 year 6-0.
Haley Bush continues to lead the Drake offense with 242 kills.
Mariana Rodrigues (215),
Taylor Oberpriller (161), and
Ashlynn Kuhn (111) are also among the team's best in offensive production. Freshman
Addison Beagle has recorded a Valley-best 800 assists and leads the Bulldogs with 22 service aces.
Jada Wills' defensive play has been excellent with a team-high 355 digs while
Kacie Rewerts has been stoic on the Dogs' front line with 86 blocks.
Huge Home Weekend
Drake's wins over Illinois State and Bradley opened the newly renovated Knapp Center in fruitful fashion. The Bulldogs earned their sixth and seventh victories by sweep of the season and their first two in conference play.
On Saturday, Drake finished off Bradley with a 25-11 score in the match-winning set. The Braves' 11 points was the lowest single-set point total allowed by the Bulldogs in MVC competition this season.
Individually,
Haley Bush recorded 16 kills to propel her into 10th-place on Drake's all-time career kills list.
Scouting UNI
UNI has had an impressive start to their 2022 season. The Panthers are 13-6 overall and have yet to drop an MVC match with a 6-0 league record. All six of UNI's MVC wins have come in their last six contests with their last loss coming at Iowa in the final match of the Hawkeye Invitational (9/17).
Emily Holterhaus leads the Panthers with 220 kills followed by a handful of other triple-digit killers. Kira Fallert, who has the second-highest kill total with 197, leads the team with 24 service aces. Tayler Alden has distributed 696 assists. Defensively, Sydney Petersen leads Northern Iowa with 291 digs while Carly Spies has a team-best 75 blocks.
Northern Iowa is led by longtime head coach Bobbi Petersen. The UNI alum had a remarkable playing career and has had an equally respectable coaching tenure. Petersen has amassed a record of 542-200 in 23 years at the helm of the Panther volleyball program.
UNI leads the all-time series with Drake by a 72-6 margin. The Panthers won 47-consecutive matches from 1997 to 2019 before Drake got back in the win column. The two squads have split the last two matches with the road team winning in both 2021 tilts.
Up Next
The Bulldogs will return home for another weekend in the Knapp Center. Drake will host Valparaiso on Friday, Oct. 14, and MVC-newcomer UIC on Saturday, Oct. 15.
