CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Drake University volleyball team picked up a 3-1 victory over Southern Illinois on the road on Friday evening. The Bulldogs bounced back after a first set stumble to sprint by the Salukis for their 15th MVC win of the year.
 
Drake (19-8, 15-1) controlled the opening stages of the first set before the Salukis (10-17, 3-13) were able rebound. SIU grabbed a lead at 13-12 as things evened out. After drawing even at 15-all, the Salukis outran Drake down the stretch with a 10-3 rally to earn a 25-18 win in the set.
 
The Bulldogs again started hot in the second stanza, building a 7-1 advantage out of the gate. SIU was able to settle into the match, though, and slowly chip away at Drake's lead. The score was again tied at 15 apiece but neither team could gain much separation through the remainder of the set, until a heroic effort helped the Bulldogs. Trailing 24-20, Drake scored five unanswered with kills from Ashlynn Kuhn and Macy Daufeldt to win the set, 26-24, and even the match tally.
 
Daufeldt and the Dogs sunk into a solid rhythm over the next two sets to eventually earn the win. Drake used a pair of 3-0 rallies in the third set to win the period, 25-17, and closed the match with a 25-22 fourth ended by an 8-2 spurt.
 
"It wasn't our best outing," Drake head coach Darrin McBroom said, "but under a lot of stress, the team pulled together and found a way to win. SIU really came out strong and played very well."
 
The Drake attack was led by a trio of double-digit killers including Daufeldt's 19, 16 from Megan Witte, and Ashlyn Kuhn with 11. Daufeldt added 14 digs defensively to complete the double-double. Addison Beagle and Madison Geise orchestrated the Drake offense well with 29 assists and 22 assists, respectively. Jada Wills paced the back row of the Drake D with 34 digs.
 
The Bulldogs will be back in action tomorrow night in Springfield, Mo. for their penultimate regular season contest. The meeting between the Bulldogs and Bears will start at 5:30 p.m.