The Basics
Drake volleyball team will travel west for their second invitational tournament of the 2023 campaign. The Bulldogs will head to Pullman, Wash. for the Cougar Challenge with dates against Tulsa, Northwestern State, and the hosts, No. 17 Washington State.
The Bulldogs will start the weekend with a Friday, Sep. 1 doubleheader against Tulsa at noon and a battle against the No. 17 Cougars at 9:30 p.m. They'll finish the weekend against Northwestern State on Saturday, Sep. 2 at 5 p.m.
Bulldogs by the Numbers
Drake began the year with an 0-3 weekend at the Flyer Invitational in Dayton, Ohio. Despite their winless weekend, the Bulldogs performed very well, going five sets with No. 12 Marquette and the hosts Dayton, and facing off against No. 24 Western Kentucky in the finale.
Veteran hitters
Taylor Oberpriller and
Macy Daufeldt led the Bulldogs at the Flyer Invitational with a combined 95 kills on a .390 hitting percentage. Oberpriller was named to the All-Tournament Team for her efforts. Elsewhere, senior defensive specialist
Jada Wills earned the first MVC Defensive Player of the Week award after posting 76 digs, the second most in the nation over the first weekend, and 5.85 digs per set, the fourth highest average in Division I volleyball.
Scouting Tulsa
The Golden Hurricane of Tulsa enter the weekend with an even 1-1 record after their first two matches. Tulsa competed at the Razorback Classic last weekend where they took down Michigan State 3-1 and was swept by the hosts from Arkansas.
Kayley Cassaday and Beth Bayless led the Golden Hurricane on offense over the first weekend with a combined total of 46 kills. Avery Kalsu dished out 44 assists while a foursome of Tulsa players logged at least 14 digs on defense. Front line players Arianna Mongare and Regan Pendleton each tallied six rejections.
Drake and Tulsa have squared off on 11 previous occasions from 1989-1995. The Bulldogs lead the all-time series by a 9-2 margin.
Scouting Washington State
Washington State will be the third ranked opponent in their first five games. The Cougars went 2-1 in their first three matches with home wins over Wright State and Troy and a loss at No. 4 Louisville.
The Cougar offense is led by Pia Timmer and Katy Ryan, each with 30+ kills. Setter Argentina Ung has dished out exactly 100 assists through the first three matches and is one of four Wazzu players with two service aces. Defensively, Karly Basham's 38 digs tops the roster while Magda Jehlarova leads the team with seven blocks.
Friday night's match will be the first-ever meeting between Drake and Washington State.
Scouting Northwestern State
Northwestern State has had a rough start to the 2023 season with an 0-4 start and losses via sweep in three of those contests. The Lady Demons started the year with losses to Eastern Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi State at the StarkVegas Classic. They followed that tournament with a home loss to UCLA.
Hitters Teresa Garza and Tessa Gerwig have combined for 58 kills to lead the Lady Demons. Elsewhere on offense, setters Piper Boydstun and Amina Attra have logged 52 assists and 49 assists, respectively. Ashlynn Svoboda has already tallied four service aces and leads NSU with 52 digs. A pair of Lady Demons in Reaghan Thompson and Jordan Gamble have each made 10+ blocks.
Drake and Northwestern State will face off for the first time on Saturday evening.
Up Next
The Bulldogs will return to the Midwest for another non-conference invitational at the South Dakota Classic from Thursday, Sep. 7 to Saturday, Sep. 9.
