The Basics
Drake volleyball is set to return to action as it hits the road for a trip to Oxford, Mississippi. The Bulldogs are slated to play three matches this weekend against Florida Gulf Coast (Sep. 13), tournament hosts Ole Miss (Sep. 13), and Little Rock (Sep. 14) as part of the Ole Miss Invitational.
 
Bulldogs by the Numbers
Last week, Drake made their second trip of the season to Omaha, Nebraska and participated in the MH Hospitality Omaha Challenge for a pair of non-conference matches against Omaha and Oklahoma. The Bulldogs first took on the Mavericks and earned their first win of the season securing a 3-0 sweep over Omaha. Drake then followed with a 3-0 loss to the Sooners the next day in a close contest that saw the Bulldogs drop each set by four points or less. Drake now enters the Ole Miss Invitational with a record of 1-4 on the season.
 
Drake Leaders
Kills | Macy Daufeldt – 62, Megan Witte – 46, Ashlynn Kuhn - 40
Assists | Addison Beagle – 153, Jada Wills – 14
Digs | Jada Wills – 93, Addison Beagle – 50, Ashlynn Kuhn - 40
Blocks | Aniyah Davis – 11, Bliss Beck – 11, Megan Witte - 8
Service Aces | Macy Daufeldt – 7, Ashlynn Kuhn – 5, Jada Wills - 4

Scouting Florida Gulf Coast
Florida Gulf Coast comes into the weekend with a 2024 season record of 5-1. The Eagles went 2-1 in their host tournament the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Myers Classic to open their season with wins over North Dakota State and Albany and a loss to Illinois-Chicago. FGCU then picked up three wins at the Northeastern Tournament over Lindenwood, Dartmouth, and Northeastern last weekend.
 
FGCU was picked second in the 2024 Atlantic Sun Preseason Poll while middle blocker Ella Chapman and outside hitter Skylar English were included on the Preseason All-ASUN Team.
 
Friday afternoon will mark the first-ever meeting between Drake and FGCU.
 
FGCU Leaders
Kills | Shelby Kent – 88, Skylar English – 79, Oreva Evivie – 39
Assists | Shanelle Puetz – 143, Raegan Richardson – 111
Digs | Claire Ertel – 66, Shelby Kent – 66, Skylar English – 54
Blocks | Ella Chapman – 30, Oreva Evivie – 26, Skylar English – 18
Service Aces | Skylar English – 14, Raegan Richardson – 9, Shelby Kent - 8
 
Scouting Ole Miss
Friday evening will be another first-ever meeting for the Bulldogs as they take on the Ole Miss Rebels. Ole Miss currently holds a season record of 4-2 as they get set to host the Ole Miss Invitational. The Rebels were picked to finish 12th, along with South Carolina, in the preseason Southeastern Conference Poll and middle blocker Sasha Ratliff was named to the conference's preseason team.
 
Ole Miss Leaders
Kills | Nia Washington – 64, Emma Ammerman – 60, Payton Brgoch – 41
Assists | Mokihana Tufono – 220, Cammy Niesen – 8
Digs | Cammy Niesen – 90, Mokihana Tufono – 56, Nia Washington – 48
Blocks | Payton Brgoch – 25, Sasha Ratliff – 24, Emma Ammerman – 12
Service Aces | Emma Ammerman – 8, Cammy Niesen – 8, Payton Brgoch – 6, Nia Washington - 6
 
Scouting Little Rock
The Trojans got off to a hot start to their 2024 campaign winning their first five matches. However, Little Rock's record has since dipped to 5-2 after losses in its previous two matches against Wichita State and Arkansas.
 
Members of the Ohio Valley Conference, Little Rock was picked to finish 10th in the conference's preseason poll. The Bulldogs and Trojans have also never faced each other in competition.
 
Little Rock Leaders
Kills | Jeila Fullerton – 101, Bella Cherry – 69, Kaila Harris – 65
Assists | Dariana Valencia – 161, Kaylee Smith – 137
Digs | Andrea Roman – 134, Jeila Fullerton – 84, Dariana Valencia – 66
Blocks | A'lanae Margaritha – 24, Jaycee Kennedy – 17, Jeila Fullerton – 15
Service Aces | Andrea Roman – 8, Dariana Valencia – 7

Up Next
Drake will next participate in the Hawkeye Invite II hosted by the University of Iowa. The Bulldogs are scheduled for three matches against Saint Louis (Sep. 19), South Dakota (Sep. 20), and Iowa (Sep. 21).