CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – The Drake volleyball team saw its season conclude on Tuesday night as it fell to the No. 1 seed UNI Panthers from the McLeod Center in three sets in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title match. The Bulldogs end their 2025 campaign with an overall record of 18-12.
 
Drake found itself playing catch up in the first set after UNI raced out to an early 5-0 lead, which then extended to 8-1. The Panthers remained in control as the set progressed and pulled ahead by double-digits at the 16-6 mark. Drake looked to spark a rally, but a 4-0 run from the Panthers halted any momentum on the side of the Bulldogs and the frame ultimately ended at 25-13.
 
The second set saw plenty of action go back-and-forth between the in-state rivals, but Drake grabbed a slight advantage at the 11-10 point following consecutive kills from sophomore middle blocker Bliss Beck. Just after the media timeout, however, the Panthers overtook the lead on a 3-0 scoring spurt to go up 16-15. Drake then battled its way back to even as a service ace from Emaline Handzel knotted the set up at 20-20. Down the stretch, the Bulldogs kept it close, but UNI took three of the final four scores to win the frame, 25-23.
 
Set three had a similar feel to set two in the early goings with the two sides matching each other point-for-point. Drake, once again, pulled slightly ahead, 12-9, getting kills from Beck, Kacia Brown, and Caroline Smith, but UNI remained in striking distance a few points later at 14-13 after a service error on the part of the Bulldogs. Drake responded after the error and took its largest lead of the match using a 4-0 run, capped on a Madison Geise ace, to go up 18-13. The Panthers wouldn't back down, however, and countered with a 4-0 scoring streak of their own to get it back to a one-point contest, 20-19. With the frame nearing the end, UNI took control and won five of the last six points ending the match with another 25-23 victory.
 
Brown and Smith paced the Bulldog attack on the night with the duo each recording 10 kills. Beck was next in line with eight and hit at an efficient clip of .533 in the match. Macy Daufeldt led the team in digs with nine on the defensive side. Elsewhere, setters Addison Beagle and Katie Quick chipped in with 20 and 16 assists, respectively.
 
Brown and Smith were recognized on the All-Tournament Team at the conclusion of the match, while Beck was honored with the MVC Elite 18 Award for her work in the classroom.