DES MOINES, Iowa – Drake volleyball earned their second sweep in as many days with a 3-0 victory over Bradley this evening. The Bulldogs survived a lengthy first set before dominating the subsequent two to take the convincing win. Drake now sits at 14-5 overall and 5-1 in league play while Bradley fell to 5-14 overall and 1-6 in MVC action.
Bradley came out of the gate with incredible energy and caught the Bulldogs off guard. Drake and the Braves traded scores throughout most of the set. The Braves worked their way to a 23-19 lead before Drake settled into a groove. Down 24-21,
Macy Daufeldt rattled off four kills is five points to give Drake the lead and force extra time.
Gabbie Schroeder then delivered a service ace to cap off the comeback win in the first set.
Bradley could not replicate their effort in the second and third sets. The Bulldogs outscored the visitors by a combined 50-26 score over the final two periods.
Haley Bush led all players with 13 kills while
Macy Daufeldt posted 11, her second-most productive offensive output of the season.
Addison Beagle recorded 27 assists and five service aces. Elsewhere,
Kacie Rewerts,
Kara Peter, and
Ashlynn Kuhn all added three blocks each.
Jada Wills had another solid defensive night with a match-high 15 digs.
"Again, I'm really proud of our team tonight." Drake head coach
Darrin McBroom said. "They fought through some adversity, came out slow to start, but found a way to finish well. They got better as the night went along, and it was great to pull from the bench, so many people did well."
Drake will travel to in-state rival UNI on Tuesday, Oct. 11 for their next match before hosting another pair of Valley contests next weekend.
Notes
- Beagle's five service aces marked a new career high.
- Drake's sweeping victory was their second-in-a-row, their second back-to-back 3-0 display of the year.
- Bradley's 11 points in the third and final set was the lowest single-set point total allowed by Drake in MVC competition this season.
- Drake's 5-1 start in Valley play is its best start in the conference season since beginning the 2017 year 6-0.
