The Basics
Drake volleyball finally returns to the friendly confines of the Knapp Center for their first home matches of the year. The Bulldogs are set to host UIC on Friday, Sep. 29 at 6 p.m. and Valparaiso on Saturday, Sep. 30 at 5 p.m.
 
Bulldogs by the Numbers
Drake brings a 9-5 record into their home-opening weekend after a 7-5 mark in non-conference play and an undefeated trip to central Illinois to begin their league schedule. Most recently, the Bulldogs took down Illinois State by a 3-1 margin (9/22) and Bradley in a 3-0 sweep (9/23).
 
Taylor Oberpriller has led starred for the Bulldogs this season and recently eclipsed the 200-kill mark for the year. She paces the Drake roster with 202 kills and is one of three players with triple-digit kills ahead of Macy Daufeldt with 182 and Haley Bush with 157. Setter Addison Beagle leads the entire MVC with 595 assists and Bush's 13 service aces are the most on the team.
 
Defensively, Jada Wills continues to shine in the back row with a team-high 303 digs. Kacie Rewerts has been a stalwart on the Bulldogs' front line with 69 blocks, the second-most in The Valley, and average of 1.38 blocks per set, the highest average in the league.
 
Scouting UIC
The Flames of UIC have had a great start to the 2023 season with an 11-5 overall record and a 2-1 mark in MVC play. Both Flames' league wins came in their two most recent matches, a 3-0 sweep of Missouri State (9/23) and a 3-1 defeat of Valpo (9/26).
 
Martina Delucchi and Ayat Amin have combined to form a fierce twosome for the UIC offense with 226 kills and 200 kills, respectively. Delucchi also paces the Flames with 23 service aces. Francesca Venturini leads UIC with 448 assists followed by Sohila Wafeek's 221. Defensively, Jaclyn Oblena leads the team with 183 digs while Zahria Woodard's 75 blocks are the most in The Valley.
 
Drake leads the all-time series with UIC by a 4-3 margin with three-straight wins in the series. The Flames' last win over Drake came in 2013 in a neutral site tilt in Iowa City.
 
Scouting Valparaiso
The Beacons bring a 10-6 overall record and 2-1 MVC record into the weekend. Valpo started their league calendar with a pair of wins over Missouri State (9/22) and Southern Illinois (9/23) before dropping a tilt with UIC (9/26). Valparaiso will visit UNI (9/29) before heading to Des Moines for their meeting with the Bulldogs.
 
Four Valpo players have connected on 100+ kills led by Mallory Januski's 140. Victoria Bulmahn and Addy Kois have been stellar distributors with 275 assits and 274 assists, respectively. Sophomore libero leads Valpo with 279 assists and both Janusky and Miranda Strongman have logged 42 total blocks.
 
The Bulldogs trail Valparaiso in their all-time series, 13-5. Drake won the most recent meeting last season after the Beacons rolled off six-straight victories.
 
Up Next
Drake will hit the road again for another weekend away from home. The Bulldogs will visit Indiana State on Friday, Oct. 6 and Evansville on Saturday, Oct. 7.