The Basics
The Drake women's volleyball team will make its final road trip the season this weekend as the regular season winds down. The Bulldogs are slated for a pair of matches, first taking on Southern Illinois (Nov. 15) followed by a showdown with Missouri State (Nov. 16).
Bulldogs by the Numbers
The Bulldogs defended their home court last weekend and added two more tallies to the win column defeating Valparaiso and UIC. Drake posts an overall record of 18-8 and sits second in the MVC standings with a conference record of 14-1. With their pair of wins last weekend, the Bulldogs extended their winning streak to eight matches, which marked a new season-long win streak. Drake also saw a pair of players garner MVC weekly awards as
Macy Daufeldt was named Player of the Week and
Jada Wills was named Defensive Player of the Week. It marked the third Player of the Week award for Daufeldt this season, while it was the fifth time that Wills earned Defensive Player of the Week.
Drake Leaders
Kills |
Macy Daufeldt – 409,
Megan Witte – 315,
Ashlynn Kuhn – 267
Digs |
Jada Wills – 657,
Macy Daufeldt – 284,
Addison Beagle – 230
Assists |
Addison Beagle – 746,
Madison Geise – 276,
Jada Wills – 97
Blocks |
Bliss Beck – 98.0,
Aniyah Davis – 71.0,
Ashlynn Kuhn – 60.0
Service Aces |
Macy Daufeldt – 31,
Megan Witte – 28,
Addison Beagle – 22
Scouting Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois comes into the weekend with an overall record of 10-16 and has gone 3-12 in MVC play this season. The Salukis are currently on a six-match losing streak with their last win coming against Indiana State on Oct. 19. SIU and Drake matched up earlier this season in Des Moines back on Sep. 28 with the Bulldogs winning in straight sets, 3-0.
The all-time series between Drake and Southern Illinois sees the Salukis in the lead at 42-29 dating back to 1986. However, the Bulldogs have fared well against SIU recently winning the last eight contests.
Southern Illinois Leaders
Kills | Annabelle Sulish – 311, Kelly Franklin – 272, Larissa Seger – 189
Digs | Cecilia Bulmahn – 372, Annabelle Sulish – 267, Anna Jaworski – 218
Assists | Ema Stermenska – 514, Anna Jaworski – 508, Cecilia Bulmahn – 105
Blocks | Larissa Seger – 89.0, Eva Karkwoski – 73.0, Avery Parris – 57.0
Service Aces | Cecilia Bulmahn – 29, Ema Stermenska – 23, Anna Jaworski – 18
Scouting Missouri State
The Bears have an overall record of 11-16 on the season and post a conference mark of 5-10. Last weekend, Missouri State split its pair of matches on the road losing to Bradley but defeating Illinois State. In their last six contests, the Bears have gone an even 3-3. Before taking on the Bulldogs, Missouri State will first host conference leader UNI on Friday night.
Missouri State has the upper hand in the all-time series with Drake leading 54-14, but the Bulldogs have won the last five matches with the previous three victories all being sweeps. The Bears and the Bulldogs played once already this season on Sep. 27 in Des Moines with Drake winning the match.
Missouri State Leaders
Kills l Rilynn Finley – 317, Maddy Bushnell – 244, Aniya Joseph - 224
Digs l Kate Owen – 415, Morgan Sprague – 335, Brooke Eslinger – 290
Assists l Morgan Sprague – 938, Rossana Papa – 182, Kate Owen – 63
Blocks l Neele'ge' Sims – 70.0, Maddy Bushnell – 59.0, Morgan Sprague – 41.0
Service Aces l Kate Owen – 28, Morgan Sprague – 22, Neele'ge' Sims – 19
Up Next
The Bulldogs end the regular season at the Knapp Center playing host to in-state rival UNI on Nov. 20.
