ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Three members of the Drake volleyball team were honored by the Missouri Valley Conference on Wednesday morning with All-Conference selections, the league announced.
Kacia Brown and
Macy Daufeldt were tabbed First Team All-Conference selections and
Caroline Smith was named to the All-Freshman Team.
After transferring in from New Mexico State, Brown made an immediate impact on Drake's roster and proved to be one of the top outside hitters in the MVC. The Waterloo, Iowa native racked up 349 kills this season to go along with 281 digs on the defensive side, which ranks second on third on Drake. Brown's kills place her sixth in the league and she ranks 14th in digs. Brown also paces the Bulldogs in service aces with 20. Over the course of the season, she totaled fourteen games with a double-double performance including a 23-kill, 15-dig outing against Southern Illinois on Oct. 30.
In her final season in Des Moines, Daufeldt gathers another honor to her decorated career. This marks the second consecutive season in which Daufeldt earned First Team All-Conference honors. In 2025, the West Liberty, Iowa native led the Bulldogs on both sides of the net totaling 371 kills and 339 digs. To further add to her defensive prowess, she also ranks third on Drake totaling 55 blocks. In terms of league rankings, Daufeldt finds herself second in kills and ninth in digs. On 18 occasions this season Daufeldt posted double-digits in both kills and digs in a match.
Smith made her way on to the All-Freshman Team after putting together an impressive debut season in Des Moines. The New Lennox, Illinois native eclipsed the 200-kill mark for the season totaling 207, which ranks third on the Bulldogs roster. Playing in every match with 12 starts, Smith hit at a clip of .216 from her outside hitter position.
The Bulldogs return to action tonight as they host Belmont in the first round of the MVC Tournament. First serve from the Knapp Center is set for 6:00 p.m. CT.
A complete list of the All-Conference Teams and specialty awards can be found below.
Player of the Year: Cassidy Hartman, Northern Iowa
Libero of the Year: Emma Hickey, Valparaiso
Setter of the Year: Maria Drapp, Bradley
Freshman of the Year: Gracie Furlong, Bradley
Coach of the Year: Bobbi Petersen, Northern Iowa
| FIRST TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE |
|
|
|
|
| Name |
School |
Pos. |
Yr. |
Hometown (Previous School) |
| Brooke Gilleland |
Belmont |
OH |
Sr. |
Murfreesboro, Tenn. (Siegel HS) |
| Kacia Brown |
Drake |
OH |
Gr. |
Waterloo, Iowa (New Mexico State) |
| Macy Daufeldt |
Drake |
OH |
Sr. |
West Liberty, Iowa (West Liberty HS) |
| Ayat Amin |
UIC |
RS |
Sr. |
Cairo, Egypt (Al Waha International School) |
| Khenedi Guest |
Illinois State |
MB |
So. |
Benton, Ark. (Benton HS) |
| Ella Vogel |
Murray State |
RS |
Sr. |
Cape Girardeau, Mo. (Cape Central HS) |
| Maryn Bixby |
Northern Iowa |
MB |
Fr. |
Dike, Iowa (Dike-New Hartford HS) |
| Lily Dykstra |
Northern Iowa |
OH |
Jr. |
Urbandale, Iowa (Urbandale HS) |
| Cassidy Hartman |
Northern Iowa |
OH |
Jr. |
North Liberty, Iowa (Iowa City Liberty HS) |
| Ava Helming |
Valparaiso |
RS |
So. |
Johnston, Iowa (Johnston HS) |
| Emma Hickey |
Valparaiso |
L |
Sr. |
Granger, Ind. (Penn HS) |
| Sam Warren |
Valparaiso |
RS |
Sr. |
Kentland, Ind. (South Newton HS) |
|
|
|
|
|
| SECOND TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE |
|
|
|
|
| Name |
School |
Pos. |
Yr. |
Hometown (Previous School) |
| Maria Drapp |
Bradley |
S |
So. |
Cincinnati, Ohio (Mercy McAuley HS) |
| Gracie Furlong |
Bradley |
OH |
Fr. |
Galena, Ill. (Galena HS) |
| Tendai Titley |
Bradley |
RS |
R-So. |
Houston, Texas (Obra D. Tompkins HS) |
| Ainoah Cruz |
Evansville |
L |
Jr. |
Arecibo, Puerto Rico |
| Antonie Kelnárová |
UIC |
OH |
So. |
Prague, Czech Republic |
| Julieta Sandez |
UIC |
MB |
Sr. |
Buenos Aires, Argentina (Chicago State) |
| Lindsey Oldendorf |
Northern Iowa |
MB |
Sr. |
Homer Glen, Ill. (San Francisco) |
| Jadyn Petersen |
Northern Iowa |
L |
R-Fr. |
Dike, Iowa (Dike-New Hartford HS) |
| Kelly Franklin |
Southern Illinois |
RS |
Sr. |
Lake Worth, Fla. (Lake Worth Christian HS) |
| ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM |
|
|
|
| Name |
School |
Pos. |
Hometown (Previous School) |
| Jordan Czajkowski |
Belmont |
S |
New Berlin, Wis. (Divine Savior Holy Angels HS) |
| Erin McMullen |
Belmont |
MB |
Miami, Fla. (Doral Academy Preparatory School) |
| Gracie Furlong |
Bradley |
OH |
Galena, Ill. (Galena HS) |
| Caroline Smith |
Drake |
RS |
New Lennox, Ill. (Lincoln-Way West HS) |
| Maryn Bixby |
Northern Iowa |
MB |
Dike, Iowa (Dike-New Hartford HS) |
| Isabelle Elliot |
Northern Iowa |
OH/RS |
Sumner, Iowa (Sumner-Fredericksburg HS) |
| Jadyn Petersen |
Northern Iowa |
L |
Dike, Iowa (Dike-New Hartford HS) |
