The Basics
After a heartbreaking loss in the MVC Tournament title match, Drake volleyball's season will continue in the 2022 NIVC. The Bulldogs will travel to Wichita, Kan. for a neutral site match against Big Sky Conference runner-up Weber State on Sunday, Dec. 4 at 1 p.m.
Bulldogs by the Numbers
Drake enters the NIVC with records of 26-7 overall and 16-2 in conference play. The Bulldogs' 26 total wins are the most in a single sesaon in program history. Their 16 MVC wins are also their most in a single year since earning the same number in 1996.
Drake's historic year included an 11-game winning streak to end the regular season capped off by a 3-1 home victory over MVC champion UNI. Drake then defeated UIC for the third time this season in the semifinals of the league tournament before bowing out in a rematch with UNI in the title match.
Individually, MVC Player of the Year
Haley Bush led the Bulldog offense with 467 kills. Bush surpassed the 1,000-kill mark during her senior season and posted 25 service aces, 276 digs, and 50 blocks.
Mariana Rodrigues also had a remarkable year as part of the Bulldogs' lethal offensive attack. The graduate student amassed 425 kills and earned All-MVC honors.
Elsewhere,
Addison Beagle was arguably the instigator of the Drake offense with 1,391 assists, the most of any freshman in the entirety of Division I. Beagle also led the Bulldogs with 39 aces and had the second-most digs with 283.
Defensively, libero
Jada Wills led the back line with 639 digs. At the net, the trio of
Kacie Rewerts,
Ashlynn Kuhn, and
Taylor Oberpriller provided staunch defense. Rewerts led both Drake and the MVC with 160 blocks. Kuhn followed with 92 rejections.
NIVC History
Drake will play in the NIVC for the second time in program history. The Bulldogs' last appearance in the postseason tournament came in 2018 when Drake lost in the first round to eventual NIVC champion Iowa State.
Scouting Weber State
Weber State enters the opening round of the NIVC with records of 17-11 overall and 11-5 in Big Sky Conference play. The Wildcats worked through an up-and-down season that started with an undefeated weekend at their own invitational tournament in late August. Weber State enjoyed a successful conference season including a winning streak of six games.
Weber State's regular season ended with a 3-1 win over Montana before dropping their first Big Sky Tournament game to sixth-seeded Montana State.
The Wildcats are led by Dani Richins's 330 kills, followed by Emma Mangum with 223. Richins also leads the team with 34 aces while Mangum has recorded 109 blocks, the most on the Weber State team. Setter Kate Standifird has done an excellent job orchestrating the Wildcat offense with 1,046 assists.
Defensively, Makayla Sorensen's 425 digs pace Weber State. Richins and Standifird are also defensive standouts with 300+ digs apiece.
Jeremiah Larsen is in his eighth year as an NCAA head coach, all of which coming at Weber State. Larsen has led the Wildcats to a 131-97 record during his tenure.
Drake and Weber State have faced off on three previous occasions with the Wildcats picking up wins in all three matches. The most recent match took place in a neutral site contest in Macomb, Ill. in 2016. The first two tilts were both played in Des Moines in 1988.
Up Next
The winner of the Drake and Weber State match will advance to the second round of the NIVC on Monday, Dec. 5 at 6:30 p.m. The second round match will feature either the Bulldogs or Wildcats versus the winner of Grand Canyon and host Wichita State.
