The Basics 

The Drake women's volleyball team will take to the court and square off against Murray State, Belmont, and UNI in the coming week for a trio of Missouri Valley Conference battles. Murray State and Belmont will be hosted at Drake on Oct. 11 and 12, while UNI will invite the Bulldogs to Cedar Falls on Oct. 14.  

 

The Bulldogs come into the weekend riding a hot streak, winning their last five matches. Drake sits at 8-7 with a 4-0 conference record and a 2-0 home record under their belts going into the Murray State and Belmont matchups. Last weekend, the Bulldogs hit the road and claimed victories over Valparaiso and UIC to remain undefeated in MVC play. The other two conference wins under Drake's belt came over Southern Illinois and Missouri State at the Knapp Center. 

 

Kills | Macy Daufeldt – 217, Megan Witte – 170, Ashlynn Kuhn – 157  

Assists | Addison Beagle – 474, Madison Geise – 97, Jada Wills – 50  

Digs | Jada Wills – 346, Macy Daufeldt – 156, Addison Beagle – 145  

Blocks | Aniyah Davis – 48.0, Bliss Beck – 44.0, Macy Daufeldt – 36.0 

Service Aces | Macy Daufeldt – 19, Megan Witte – 16, Jada Wills – 13  

 

Murray State currently sits right behind the Bulldogs in terms of conference standings. The team is 9-5 overall with a 4-1 conference record and a 3-2 away record. The Racers are riding a three-game winning streak themselves having already notched a win this week defeating Belmont, 3-2, on Tuesday. Prior to that, Murray State swept Indiana State and took down Evansville, 3-2.  

 

The Bulldogs and Racers have a very brief history having played just three times all-time. Drake won all three of the prior matchups over the Racers with the most recent showdown last season going to five sets. 

 

Murray State Leaders  

Kills | Ella Vogel – 231, Darci Metzger – 122, Federica Nuccio – 110  

Assists | Bailey DeMier – 549, Dahlia Miller – 52, Federica Nuccio – 27  

Digs | Dahlia Miller – 291, Federica Nuccio – 155, Bailey DeMier – 132  

Blocks | Morgan McClure – 31.0, Ella Vogel – 29.0, Haidi Miliou – 20.0 

Service Aces | Dahlia Miller – 15, Federica Nuccio – 14, Bailey Keusch – 13  

 

The Belmont Bruins travel to Drake in an attempt to bring their conference record to .500 for the season. The team is 7-10 overall with a 2-3 conference record and has gone winless in true road contests with an 0-6 away record. Belmont suffered a loss to Murray State earlier this week and has also lost to Illinois State and Bradley in MVC play. The Bruins two wins over MVC opponents have come against Evansville and Indiana State. 

 

Drake and Belmont also have a limited history against one another with just two matches played all-time, both coming in the past two years. The Bulldogs were victorious in both instances and have yet to lose a set against the Bruins. 

 

Kills | Brooke Gilleland – 217, Brenna Kauffeld – 152, Lucy Kay – 120  

Assists | Kamryn Olson – 511, Alivia Keegan – 123, Lilly Lutz – 71  

Digs | Lilly Lutz – 306, Brooke Gilleland – 177, Kamryn Olson – 145  

Blocks | Bella Mathis – 53.0, Lucy Kay – 36.0, Brooke Gilleland – 26.0 

Service Aces | Elizabeth Godfrey – 19, Lilly Lutz – 15, Kamryn Olson – 15  

 

Picked as the preseason favorites in the conference, UNI has won 22 consecutive MVC regular season matches after achieving an undefeated record last season. In 2024, the Panthers have gone 9-7 overall and are a perfect 4-0 in conference action. Before the inner state showdown on Monday, the Panthers will play host to Belmont and Murray State over the weekend. 

 

The Bulldogs and Panthers have faced off numerous times on the court over the years dating back to 1986. UNI leads the all-time series, 77-7, and have claimed four-straight over Drake. The last time the Bulldogs defeated the Panthers in Cedar Falls came on Oct. 1, 2021, in a 3-0 sweep.  

 

Kills | Kira Fallert – 209, Cassidy Hartman – 202, Olivia Tjernagel – 139  

Assists | Sydney Golden – 354, Reese Booth – 254, Erin Powers – 79  

Digs | Erin Powers – 263, Kira Fallert – 119, Cassidy Hartman – 117 

Blocks | Kacie Rewerts – 71.0, Kaitlyn Sellner – 38.0, Olivia Tjernagel – 36.0 

Service Aces | Erin Powers – 16, Kira Fallert – 15, Sydney Golden – 14 

 

Up Next  

The Bulldogs will head to Illinois next weekend for a pair of matches. Drake first challenges Bradley on Oct. 18, and then will take on Illinois State the following day on Oct. 19.

Any Bulldog fans who purchase tickets to the Drake football game earlier in the day on Saturday can gain free entry into the volleyball match by presenting their football ticket at the Knapp Center ticket office.