The Basics 
The Drake volleyball team begins postseason play in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament as it hosts the No. 6 seed Belmont from the Knapp Center on Wednesday evening.

Bulldogs by the Numbers 
Drake earned the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament after finishing the regular season with a league record of 12-4. The Bulldogs tied with Valparaiso for second in the league standings, but the Beacons owned the tiebreaker with a head-to-head win in the only meeting during the season. The Bulldogs come into Wednesdays contest riding a three-game win streak. Last weekend the Bulldogs closed out the regular season with a pair of wins over Evansville and Indiana State.
 
The Bulldogs are led by senior outside hitter Macy Daufeldt, who leads the team in both kills (371) and digs (339). The West Liberty, Iowa native ranks second in the MVC in kills and she also ranks No. 9 in the league in digs.
 
Sophomore middle blocker Bliss Beck imposes a defensive force at the net for the Bulldogs and has racked up 113 total blocks this season. That mark ranks second in the MVC and is good for 1.07 blocks per set.
 
Drake Leaders 
Kills | Macy Daufeldt – 371, Kacia Brown – 349, Caroline Smith – 207
Assists | Addison Beagle – 508, Katie Quick – 477, Carolyn Maser – 76
Digs | Macy Daufeldt – 339, Gabbie Schroeder – 285, Kacia Brown – 281
Blocks | Bliss Beck – 113, Aniyah Davis – 97, Macy Daufeldt – 55
Service Aces | Kacia Brown – 20, Emaline Handzel – 18, Macy Daufeldt – 18
 
Scouting Belmont
The Bruins grabbed the last spot available for the MVC Tournament with the No. 6 seed and finished the regular season with a league mark of 8-8. Overall, the Bruins tallied a record of 17-10 on the season. Last week Belmont split its final two matches of the regular season taking a road win at Murray State and falling to league champions UNI.
 
Drake and Belmont have a brief history together on the volleyball court, but the series has been dominated by the Bulldogs. Drake is 5-0 all-time against Belmont and has never dropped a set against the Bruins. Drake won the only meeting between the two teams during the regular season with a 3-0 sweep on Nov. 1 from Des Moines.
 
Belmont Leaders
Kills | Brooke Gilleland – 345, Brenna Kauffeld – 232, Emily Warmenhoven – 163
Assists | Jordan Czajkowski – 629, Alivia Keegan – 443, Lilly Lutz – 109
Digs | Lilly Lutz – 434, Brooke Gilleland – 219, Jordan Czajkowski – 208
Blocks | Erin McMullen – 86, Brenna Kauffeld – 67, Bella Mathis – 65
Service Aces | Brooke Gilleland – 52, Jordan Czajkowski – 24, Lilly Lutz – 22
 
Scouting Valparaiso
The Beacons own the No. 2 seed in the MVC tournament due to a tiebreaker with the Bulldogs and earned a bye into the semifinals. Valpo tallied a league record of 12-4 and went 21-8 overall during the regular season. The 21 regular season wins for the Beacons mark the most for the program since 2022 when it won 22 games. The 12 wins against conference opponents are the most wins for Valpo since 2021 when it also won 12 league games.
 
Valpo has the lead in the all-time series over the Bulldogs with a mark of 14-9. The Beacons defeated Drake in their lone matchup this season in four sets back on September 26. That snapped a five-match win streak the Bulldogs held over the Beacons.
 
Valparaiso Leaders
Kills | Ava Helming – 354, Sam Warren – 308, Jordyn Gove – 227
Assists | Addy Kois – 677, Mara Thomas – 566, Emma Hickey – 140
Digs | Emma Hickey – 569, Jordyn Gove – 301, Mara Thomas – 256
Blocks | Lilly Merk – 107, Jessica Pickett – 92, Sam Warren – 80
Service Aces | Jordyn Gove – 29, Addy Kois – 24, Mara Thomas – 22
 
Up Next 
If the Bulldogs advance past Belmont they will travel to Valparaiso and play the Beacons in the semifinal round on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 6 p.m. CT. If Drake makes it to the championship match, that will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 25 with location and time to be determined.