The Basics
Drake volleyball will hit the road for a two-game set as they take on Murray State on Friday, Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. and Belmont on Saturday, Oct. 21 at 5 p.m.
Bulldogs by the Numbers
Drake will take a 14-7 overall record and 7-2 record in MVC play into the eighth weekend of the season after going 2-1 last weekend. They swept Southern Illinois to open the homestand (10/13) and defeated Missouri State (10/14), before falling to Northern Iowa in front of a record home crowd (10/16). Both were won by an identical margin of 3-0.
Taylor Oberpriller continues to lead the Bulldog offense this season with 294 kills, which is good for third in the Missouri Valley.
Haley Bush (246) and
Macy Daufeldt (241) have also been leaders in the Drake attack. Setter
Addison Beagle is third in the MVC with 756 assists.
Defensively,
Jada Wills leads the Missouri Valley Conference with 464 digs.
Kacie Rewerts has moved into the top spot in the conference at the net, earning 112 blocks for an average of 1.49 per set.
Scouting Murray State
The Racers come into the weekend with a record of 12-6 overall and 6-3 in conference play. They split last weekend's road trip with a win over Bradley (10/13) and a loss to Illinois State (10/14). The loss put an end to a four game win streak.
The team is led offensively by senior outside hitter Darci Metzger with 309 kills, good for second in the MVC. Besides Metzger, they have two other players with over 100 kills; Haidi Miliou (161) and Elisa Dosio (119). Bailey DeMier leads the Racers in assists with 783, which is good for first in the Missouri Valley per set but the second-highest total on the season.
Drake and Murray State have played just twice in history, with the Bulldogs hosting a 2-0 advantage. Most recently, Drake swept the Racers in Des Moines in 2022.
Scouting Belmont
The Bruins enter the weekend with an 11-12 overall record and a 5-4 mark in conference play. They split a pair on the road last weekend with a loss at Illinois State (10/13) and a win over Bradley (3-2).
The Bruins' attack is paced by Ally Peterson with 207 kills. Kristen Clemons has contributed 194 kills to Belmont's balanced attack. Kamryn Olson leads the team in assists with 810, good for the most overall in the conference, but fifth in average per set.
Drake met Belmont for the first time in 2022, when they swept the Bruins at home.
Up Next
Drake will return home to host Bradley on Friday, Oct. 27 at 6 p.m. and Illinois State on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 5 p.m.