The Basics
Drake volleyball will embark on their final road trip of the 2022 regular season this weekend. The Bulldogs will conclude their season series with Bradley on Friday, Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. and Illinois State on Saturday, Nov. 5 at 5 p.m.
 
Bulldogs by the Numbers
Drake enters the weekend with a 20-6 overall record and an 11-2 MVC resume. The Bulldogs' 20 wins are their most in a single season since the 2018 campaign and their 11 conference victories match their 2020-21 spring season mark. The Bulldogs are also riding a six-game winning streak including five 3-0 sweeps in a row.
 
Drake boasts a pair of hitters with over 300 kills. Haley Bush leads the club with 353 kills followed by Mariana Rodrigues with 307. Addison Beagle has also been a force on the Drake offense with an impressive 1,077 assists and 32 service aces, both team highs. Defensively, Jada Wills, the newest member of Drake's 1,000-career digs club, lead the team in that category with 494 while Kacie Rewerts has posted 120 blocks, the most in the entire conference.
 
Scouting Bradley
Bradley brings in a 9-16 overall record and 5-8 mark in Valley play. The Braves have gone 4-2 in in their last six matches including a five-set victory over Missouri State in their most recent match.
 
The Braves offensive attack consists of a balanced trio on the front line. Karagan Coggin leads the team with 206 kills followed by Doga Topcicek with 197 and Abby Johnson with 190. Coggin also leads the crew with 26 aces and has the second-most blocks with 67. Elsewhere, setter Carlee Camlin has logged 726 assists. On defense, Serena Sparks' 372 digs lead the Bradley roster while Kendall Minta is just one block away from eclipsing the triple-digit mark with 99 rejections.
 
Alicia Williams is in her first season as Bradley's head coach.
 
In this season's first matchup, Drake earned a 3-0 sweep on Oct. 8 in Des Moines. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series by a narrow 36-34 margin.
 
Scouting Illinois State
Illinois State currently holds records of 11-13 overall and 4-9 in MVC play. The Redbirds have split their last four games with losses to Murray State (10/22) and Missouri State (10/28) and wins over Belmont (10/21) via sweep and, most recently, Southern Illinois (10/29).
 
Aida Shadewald leads a balanced group of offensive stars for the Redbirds with 222 kills. Other key hitters include Sarah Kushner with 176 kills and Kaitlyn Prondzinski with 166 kills. Two Illinois State players have recorded over 300 assists led by Emily Weber with 336 and Nora Janka with 324. Janka, Shadewald, and Kaity Weimerskirch also lead the team in service aces with 27, 26, and 25, respectively. Defensively, Weimerskirch's 390 digs top the Redbird roster while Regan Haith's 83 blocks anchor Illinois State's front line.
 
Head coach Allie Matters is in her first season leading the Illinois State volleyball program and fifth year coaching at the Division I level. Matters has logged a career record of 90-43 between stints at Illinois State and Wright State.
 
Drake also swept their most recent match against Illinois State on Oct. 7. Despite the Bulldogs' victory earlier this season, Illinois State leads the all-time series by a 58-13 differential.
 
Up Next
Drake will return home to begin their final homestand of the regular season with a tilt against Missouri State on Friday, Nov. 11 and another MVC match versus Southern Illinois on Saturday, Nov. 12.