The Basics
The Drake University volleyball team will begin the 2022 season at the United States Air Force Academy in the Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic Aug. 26-27. The Bulldogs will play CSUN in the opening match at 3:30 p.m. CT on Friday, Aug. 26 before taking on Texas A&M – Commerce Saturday (Aug. 27) morning at 11 a.m. CT followed by a meeting with the tournament host Air Force at 8 p.m. CT.
 
Who's Back
Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Team member and 2020-21 MVC Volleyball Player of the Year Haley Bush returns for her senior year at outside hitter. Bush led the Bulldogs with 290 kills last season while adding 22 service aces and 195 digs.
 
Junior outside hitter Jada Wills played all 100 sets last season and accumulated 274 digs. Mariana Rodrigues is back as a graduate student and can do a little bit of everything for the Bulldogs. In 2021, Rodrigues totaled 218 kills and 50 blocks (eight solo).
 
Kacie Rewerts (124 blocks, 11 solo in 2021) and Ashlynn Kuhn (118 blocks, 18 solo in 2021) played 99 and 98 sets respectively last season to set the tone for Drake at the net.
 
Welcome to the Team
Three freshmen setters join the squad in Addison Beagle, Riley Jonker and Madison Geise. Gabbie Schroeder (libero) and Macy Daufeldt (outside hitter/defensive specialist) round out the freshmen class. Ames, Iowa, native Thea Rotto transferred in from Bucknell as an outside hitter.
 
McBroom Adds Hillegas & Majors to Coaching Staff
Drake volleyball head coach Darrin McBroom enters his ninth season at the helm and he will have two new faces joining him on the bench.
 
Hali Hillegas joins the Bulldogs after two seasons as an assistant coach at Central College in Pella, Iowa. In her time with the Dutch, she coached three all-conference and two honorable mention athletes. A 2019 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, Hillegas was a second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference libero in 2019.

Prior to transferring to Pittsburgh, Hillegas spent the first four years of her college career at Iowa State University, where she gained AVCA honorable mention all-American honors in 2017. She was also named the league's libero of the year while earning first-team all-Big 12 recognition.
 
Eric Majors also enters his first season as an assistant coach for Drake volleyball. Majors was the head coach at Avila University, an NAIA institution from 2019-21. Prior to Avila, Majors was an assistant coach for five seasons including the last three as associate head coach at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, La., from 2014-18.
 
The Kansas City, Mo., native assisted both the men's and women's volleyball programs at his alma mater Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa, from 2011-13. Majors directed the Sandshark Volleyball Club in Kansas City from 2006-14.
 
Philip Boahen returns as a volunteer assistant coach.
 
Scouting CSUN
CSUN (California State University-Northridge) is coming off a 7-23 campaign in 2021 and the Matadors returns roughly 75 percent of their offense. All-Big West honoree Taylor Orshoff recorded 314 kills last season with senior Nicole Navarez (294 kills in 2021) joining her.
 
The Matadors were predicted to finish 10^th in the Big West Conference. John Price will start his first season as the director of women's volleyball at CSUN in charge of the women's volleyball and beach volleyball programs.
 
Scouting Texas A&M - Commerce
The Lions are ready for their first NCAA Division-I volleyball match. Texas A&M – Commerce is transitioning up from NCAA Division-II and joining the Southland Conference, where the Lions were picked seventh in the preseason poll.
 
Lone Star Conference Setter of the Year Celeste Vela leads a strong group of returners for TAMUC that includes junior outside hitter Maddy Rashford.
 
Texas A&M – Commerce finished 14-10 overall at the Division-II level last season and the Lions are led into the D-I era by 13^th year head coach Craig Case.
 
Scouting Air Force
The Falcons finished the 2021 campaign with a 7-21 overall mark and were selected 10^th in the Mountain West Conference preseason poll.
 
Senior outside hitter BrookeLyn Messenger will serve as one of the captains for Air Force in 2022 after registering 145 kills in 2021. Junior middle blocker Joi Harvey is versatile totaling 191 kills and 94 blocks (17 solo) a year ago.
 
Keith Barnett enters his fourth season as the head coach of Air Force volleyball.
 
Up Next
The Bulldogs will head east to the Hampton Inn Invitational hosted by IUPUI in Indianapolis Sept. 2-3.