The Basics
Drake enters the 2022 MVC Tournament with a historic record of 25-6 overall and a 16-2 mark in conference play. The Bulldogs' 16 MVC victories are their most since earning the same number in 1996 while their 25 total wins match the most in program history with one other occurrence in 1995.
 
Drake will compete as the No. 2 seed in the 2022 MVC Tournament after finished second in the league during the regular season. The Bulldogs will take the floor on Tuesday, Nov. 29 against the winner of the UIC vs. Valparaiso quarterfinal match.
 
Bulldogs by the Numbers
Drake's record setting season included an 8-1 record on a neutral court, 8-5 mark on the road, and a perfect 9-0 record at the Knapp Center. The Bulldogs won the final 11 matches of the regular season and 14 of their last 15 contests. Early in the season, Drake captured the team title at the Hampton Inn Invitational hosted by IUPUI (9/2) and earned runner-up finishes at Iowa State's Cardinal & Gold Classic (9/10) and the Green Bay Invite (9/16). The Bulldogs also defeated Iowa in four sets on Sept. 10 for their first win over a power conference opponent since 2010.
 
Individually, Drake boasts a potent offensive attack led by two-time and current MVC Player of the Year Haley Bush. Bush leads the Bulldogs and is third in the league with 432 kills and a hitting percentage of .234. Bush is also towards the top of the Bulldog stat sheet with 21 service aces, 258 digs, and 46 blocks. Drake graduate Mariana Rodrigues, another All-MVC First Team honoree, is another lethal hitter for the Bulldogs. Rodrigues is second on the team and fifth in the conference with 392 kills.
 
MVC Freshman of the Year Addison Beagle has been one of the premier setters in the country this season. The first-year player leads all freshman nationally, and was second in the MVC, with 1,301 assists. Beagle also paced Drake on the service line with 39 aces and the second-most digs with 264.
 
Defensively, Kacie Rewerts and Jada Wills combined to earn three MVC Defensive Player of the Week honors throughout the season. Rewerts, a middle blocker, led the conference by a wide margin with 147 blocks. As the Bulldogs' libero, Wills logged an impressive 597 digs, the third-most in the Valley.
 
In his 10th season as Drake's head volleyball coach, Darrin McBroom has put together an overall record of 147-156.
 
Tournament Recap
The first two matches of the 2022 MVC Volleyball Championship went the way of both higher seeds. On Sunday, Nov. 20 Nov. 5 Evansville took down No. 8 Bradley in four sets before No. 6 Valparaiso swept No. 7 Murray State.
 
The championship quarterfinals will get underway on Monday afternoon. Evansville will square off against No. 4 Southern Illinois before Valpo and No. 3 UIC will battle for a chance to meet the Bulldogs in the semifinals.
 
Scouting UIC
The higher-seeded potential opponent for Drake is No. 3 UIC. The Flames enter the tournament with a 21-9 overall record and 12-5 mark in MVC play. The Missouri Valley Conference newcomer is riding a five-game winning streak to end the regular season including four victories via sweep. The Flames are 7-3 away from Chicago this season with a 6-2 record in a neutral court.
 
UIC is led by a foursome of All-MVC honorees. Paola Santiago a first-team selection, is second on the squad with 341 kills and has also logged 283 digs, 49 blocks, 24 aces, and 53 assists. The Flames' other first-teamer, Sohila Wafeek, has made the team's second-most service aces with 41 with 237 digs to her credit. A pair of Flames front row players also earned Second Team All-MVC honors as Martina Delucchi, the team's leading hitter with 451, and Zahria Woodard, one of the league's premier blockers with 114, were recognized.
 
The Flames are led by fifth-year head coach Justin Ingram. The Iowa State University alum has been an NCAA head coach for 14 seasons while building a record of 101-59 during his tenure at UIC.
 
Tuesday's match would be the first-ever meeting between UIC and Drake in the MVC Tournament and the seventh all-time matchup. The series between both teams is knotted at three wins apiece with the Bulldogs' claiming both tilts of the 2022 season.
 
Scouting Valparaiso
Valparaiso enters the 2022 MVC Championship with an overall record of 22-9 and a league record of 9-9. The Beacons started the year as one of the hottest teams in the sport with 12 wins in their first 12 contests. Valpo finally suffered its first loss to MVC regular season champion UNI (9/23). After an up-and-down MVC slate, the Beacons got back in the win column in the opening round of the MVC Tournament with a 3-0 win over Murray State (11/20).
 
Second Team All-MVC representative Emma Hickey was the has been one of the Beacons' highlights throughout the year. The freshman star is one of just two players to see action in all 123 sets for Valpo and leads the team with 706 digs, the most in the MVC. Other key contributors for the Beacons include hitters Kara Cooper, Bella Ravotto, and Mallory Januski, all with 200+ kills. Setters Addu Kois and Victoria Bulmahn have both logged over 600 assists. Defensively, Ravotto is the team's second-leading back row player with 343 digs while Januski's 118 blocks top the club.
 
Long-time Valpo head coach Carin Avery has had an illustrious career leading the Beacon program. Avery has amassed a record of 471-226 in her Valparaiso tenure.
 
Drake and Valparaiso have also never met in the MVC Tournament. Tuesday's meeting would be the 19th all-time battle between both teams. The Beacons hold a 13-5 advantage over Drake. The Bulldogs won the most recent matchup after Valpo captured six-consecutive meetings.

Up Next
The winner of the semifinal match between Drake and either UIC or Valpo will advance to the 2022 MVC tournament championship match. The other side of the bracket will produce either top-seeded UNI, or the middle seeds from Southern Illinois or Evansville.