DES MOINES, Iowa – Drake volleyball went wire-to-wire in their three-set win over the visiting Belmont Bruins earlier this evening (25-16, 25-13, 25-20). The Bulldogs earned their fifth-consecutive win, and fourth-straight sweep, to improve to 19-6 overall and pick up their 10th win in conference play.
 
Drake benefitted from early action in all three sets. The Bulldogs opened the match on an 8-1 run to set the tone for the night. Belmont could not keep up with the Bulldogs' ferocious attack as Drake continued to hammer away and go up 20-9. The Bruins provided some resistance later in the frame with a 6-0 run of their own, but the set was well out of reach as Drake rattled off another four unanswered scores to take the first, 25-16.
 
The Bruins saw much of the same in the second set with an early 6-2 Bulldog advantage. Leading 8-5, an Addison Beagle tip kill sparked an 8-0 Drake run to extend their lead to 16-5. Belmont failed to find any footing as back-to-back kills by Mariana Rodrigues and Ashlynn Kuhn ended the set, 25-13.
 
Belmont provided their staunchest challenge in the third set despite going down 6-2 again in the early stages. Drake led just 7-5 before running out to a 13-5 lead. The Bruins refused to go down easily, however, and cultivated a 6-0 run of their own to trim the lead to just four. Drake's consistency waned in the final few moments of the match, but the Bulldogs were solid enough to earn a 25-20 win in the third set.
 
Haley Bush and Mariana Rodrigues led all players with 12 kills and 11 kills, respectively. Bush also recorded three service aces, the most of any player. Middle blocker Kacie Rewerts racked up six blocks in a stellar effort as Jada Wills logged a historic night. Wills' 16 kills vaulted her above the 1,000-career digs threshold. Elswhere, Beagle made 33 assists.
 
"Things sometimes roll your way," Drake head coach Darrin McBroom explained. "And they did [for us] tonight. When you get that, you want to take advantage of it. Belmont has some really quality athletes, and we respected them tonight. We were just able to put some things together on our side. I'm happy with all the extra players that got to show what they can do as well. We don't [always] get to showcase everyone and it's critical to get those additional players in for more self-validation."
 
"Jada [Wills] is just a solid competitor," McBroom continued. "We signed her as an outside hitter, but she wanted to be a libero, and has become really comfortable in that role."
 
The Bulldogs will continue their weekend with another home match in MVC play tomorrow evening. Drake is set to host Murray State on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 5 p.m.
 
 
NOTES

• Drake's win marked their fifth victory in a row and their fourth-straight 3-0 sweep.
• Junior libero Jada Wills became the ninth player in Drake volleyball history to record over 1,000 digs. She set the mark in the opening set and now has 1,012 career digs.
• 16 of Drake's 18 players saw action in Friday's contest.
• The Bulldogs' win marked their 10th in MVC play, the most since winning 11 matches in the 2020-21 spring season.