The Basics
Drake volleyball returns to the newly renovated Knapp Center for their 2022 home opening weekend. The Bulldogs are set to host Illinois State on Friday, Oct. 7 and Bradley on Saturday, Oct. 6. Both matches will begin at 6 p.m.
Bulldogs by the Numbers
Drake enters the weekend with a 12-5 overall record and a 3-1 mark in Missouri Valley Conference action. The Bulldogs have won four of their last five matches including wins over Southern Illinois (9/30) and Missouri State (10/1) in their last time on the floor.
Haley Bush and
Mariana Rodrigues continue to lead the Bulldogs' offensive attack with 213 and 207 respective kills.
Taylor Oberpriller and
Ashlynn Kuhn are just behind the leaders in that category with over 100 kills each.
Addison Beagle's freshman campaign has been remarkable with a team-best 16 service aces. Beagle has also recorded 743 assists, the most in the league and third-most in the country. Elsewhere,
Jada Wills leads an athletic defensive group with 327 digs while
Kacie Rewerts' 79 blocks tops Drake's front line.
Bush Makes History
On October 1st, in a five-set win at Missouri State,
Haley Bush became the 11th player in Drake volleyball history to record 1,000 career kills. She is now just 10 kills shy of entering the Bulldogs' top ten in career kills.
Scouting Illinois State
The Redbirds of Illinois State currently hold an even 8-8 overall record and a 1-4 record in MVC action. The Redbirds have dropped their last three matches, all of which coming against Valley opponents. Their most notable win came on Sept. 17 with a five-set upset win over in-state rival and 25th-ranked Illinois.
As of Sept. 24, Illinois State was led by Kaitlyn Prondzinski and Sarah Kushner with 150 kills and 141 kills, respectively. Setters Nora Janka and Katelyn Lefler have also been solid with a combined 443 assists on the year. Defensively, Kaity Weimerskirch's 204 digs pace the Redbirds while Regan Haith tops the team with 45 total blocks.
Illinois State is led by first-year head coach Allie Matters. Including a four-year stint at Wright State, Matters has amassed 87 wins and 38 losses as an NCAA head coach.
The Redbirds own a 58-12 advantage in the all-time series with Drake. Both teams have split the last two contests after Illinois State won seven-in-a-row from 2018-2021.
Scouting Bradley
Bradley brings a 5-12 overall record an 1-4 mark into the second weekend of MVC play. The Braves defeated Illinois State in their last match to end a five-game losing streak.
A trio of Braves lead Bradley's attack including Karagan Coggin with 133 kills, Abby Johnson with 127 kills, and Doga Topcicek with 113 kills. Coggin also leads the Braves with 16 services aces. Carlee Camlin has provided a team-best 406 assists followed by Loren Scott with 236 distributions. Defensively, Serena Sparks has logged 238 digs and is one of four Bradley players with triple-digits in that category. Elsewhere, Kendall Minta has made a team-high 64 blocks.
The Braves are coached by Creighton graduate Alicia Williams. In her first season, at the NCAA Division I ranks, Williams previously coached Iowa Western to back-to-back NJCAA titles.
The all-time series between Drake and Bradley is tightly contested. Despite Bradley winning the two most recent tilts, the Bulldogs currently hold a 35-34 advantage.
Up Next
Drake will hit the road again on Tuesday, Oct. 11 for their next match. The Bulldogs will be traveling to Cedar Falls to renew their rivalry with UNI.
