The Basics
Drake volleyball will begin their conference schedule this weekend with a pair of rivalry matches on the road. The Bulldogs will kick off MVC play with a trip to Illinois State on Friday, Sep. 22 and visit to Bradley on Saturday, Sep. 23.
Bulldogs by the Numbers
The Bulldogs enter MVC play with a 7-5 record after their 12-game non-conference slate. Their non-league schedule included four matches against top 25 teams, the most in a single season in Drake history. The Bulldogs have won seven of their last nine matches.
Drake has been represented on the MVC weekly awards list with the last two conference Players of the Week.
Taylor Oberpriller, the team's leading offensive threat with a team-high 161 kills, won the award two weeks ago while setter
Addison Beagle, with the league's highest assist number at 511, earned the most recent iteration.
Macy Daufeldt and
Haley Bush have also been productive on offense with 161 kills and 135 kills, respectively. Bush has also logged 11 service aces, the most on the team. Defensively,
Jada Wills' 258 digs leads the Bulldogs and
Kacie Rewerts paces the entire MVC with 61 blocks.
Scouting Illinois State
Illinois State has stumbled through non-conference action with a 2-10 record through their first 12 matches. The Redbirds lost their first nine contests before going 2-1 at the Capital Credit Union Classic in Green Bay, Wis. with wins over St. Thomas and Green Bay.
Aida Shadewald's 136 kills top Illinois State's stat sheet with Hannah Reichensperger close behing with 109. Setter Emily Weber has dished out 326 assists while Shadewald also leads the team with 16 aces. Reichensperger leads the Redbird defense with 31 blocks while Mari Hinkle paces the team with 182 digs.
Drake trails the Redbirds in the all-time series by a 58-14 margin. The Bulldogs have three of the last four meetings with victories in the last two. Illinois State's most recent win came in Normal, Ill. in 2021.
Scouting Bradley
The Braves are currently 7-6 after concluding their non-conference schedule. Bradley has lost their last four matches after winning the previous three.
Jasmine Green leads Bradley with 108 kills. The Braves' offense is orchestrated by a pair of setters in Loren Scott and Corrie Brown with 218 assists and 199 assists, respectively. Brown also leads Bradley with 18 service aces. Defensively, Dru Kuck tops Bradley with 177 digs and Kendall Minta's 39 blocks are the highest total in that category.
Drake leads a rich historic series with Bradley by a 37-34 margin. The Bulldogs have won the last two meetings.
Up Next
The MVC schedule will continue for Drake as they host their first league matches of the season. The Bulldogs are set to welcome UIC on Friday, Sep. 29 and Valparaiso on Saturday, Sep. 30.
