DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake volleyball team (19-7, 12-2) needed all five sets to outlast a pesky Evansville (8-18, 3-11) squad this evening. The Bulldogs exploded out of the gate but were challenged by the Purple Aces every step of the way as they held on to win 25-8, 22-25, 25-14, 22-25, 15-8.
 
"We tell our players that every night in The Valley anything can happen, it's a competitive league, and tonight was case in point of that," Drake head coach Darrin McBroom said. "Evansville has struggled as of late but tonight they brought their game. Every time we thought we might be able to scoot away with a win, they came charging back. There's a lot of pressure where we stand right now, so to finish strong in that fifth set…I'm proud of our athletes for being resilient."
 
The Bulldogs came out firing in the opening set, relying on a ferocious offensive attack. Drake never trailed in the period as an 8-0 Bulldog run gave them their first double-digit lead at 13-3. That rally was ended by a Drake service error, one of the Purple Aces' few scores in the set.
 
The Bulldogs kept their foot on the gas, eventually winning the set by a 25-8 score. It was their highest margin of victory in a single set since capping off a sweep of Texas Southern with a 25-6 third set in August of 2018.
 
The second set was much more competitive as the score was knotted at 15-all midway through the frame. Back-to-back errors on the service line kept the tally all square. Evansville reached the 20-point mark first and held on to a narrow advantage the rest of the way as they evened the match score with a 25-22 set win.
 
Drake battled through another back-and-forth start to the third set but eventually built a 9-5 lead with the help of two-straight Macy Daufeldt kills to force an Evansville timeout. After the pause, Madison Geise joined in with a pair of skip set kills.
 
Drake never looked back in the third, eventually securing the 25-14 set victory as Haley Bush logged her 10th kill of the night making it three Bulldogs in double figures.
 
Evansville bounced back again in the fourth set, quickly jumping out to a 5-1 lead. The Purple Aces were able to maintain their momentum and force McBroom to burn a timeout after the Bulldog deficit ballooned to 10-4.
 
Up 18-15, Zeynep Gur entered and promptly deposited back-to-back service aces to get back within one. The Drake charge was not enough, however, as Evansville steadied themselves and held on for the 25-22 set win to force a fifth period.
 
Drake was able to find its footing as the fifth set got underway and leapt out to a short lead. After a lengthy replay review triggered from the Evansville bench, the Bulldogs did not skip a beat as they went on to win the fifth set 15-8 and take the match 3-2.
 
In the third set, veteran Haley Bush made Bulldog history as she set the new mark for most kills in a career. The fifth-year player finished the night with 21 kills and now sits at 1,633. She passed former Drake star Angela Bys to etch her name in the record books.
 
Bush also added 11 digs to complete a double-double. Taylor Oberpriller also went off with 20 kills to her credit and posted 19 digs for a double-double of her own. Macy Daufeldt rounded out Drake offense output with 17 kills.
 
Addison Beagle led Drake with 32 assists followed by Madison Geise's 27. Defensively, Jada Wills posted 31 digs.
 
The Bulldogs will compete in their final home match of the regular season tomorrow evening as Drake is set to host Indiana State at 5 p.m. The annual Senior Night festivities will take place following the conclusion of the match.
 
 
 
NOTES

• Drake is now 6-2 at home this season.
• Four of Drake's 19 wins have come in five sets.
• The Bulldogs have now won five matches in a row and nine of their last 10 contests.
• The Bulldogs' 25-8 Set 1 win was their largest margin of victory in a single set since closing a sweep of Texas Southern with a 25-6 margin in August of 2018.
• Haley Bush recorded 21 kills to surpass former Drake star Angela Bys for the program's all-time kills record. She now owns the top spot with 1,633.
• Bush and Taylor Oberpriller each recorded a double-double as the former logged 11 digs and the latter scored on 20 kills and picked up 19 digs.
• Kacie Rewerts is now second Drake's all-time block assists record board with 430.