DES MOINES, Iowa. – The Drake volleyball team picked up a key win over the UIC Flames in five sets on Saturday evening from the Knapp Center in the final home game of the 2025 regular season. With the victory, Drake moves into sole possession of third place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings with just two games remaining.
 
Drake was out to a fast start in the first set and grabbed an early 7-3 lead after scoring from both sides of the net with a combo block by Aniyah Davis and Macy Daufeldt followed by a kill from Daufeldt. It wasn't much later, however, that UIC rallied and tied the score up at 9-9 en part to a 3-0 run. With the score tied at 17-17, the Flames then pulled away from the Bulldogs behind a 5-0 run which featured two kills and three blocks. UIC's momentum from the late run carried it to the eventual set win, 25-20.
 
In the second set, the Bulldogs got an advantageous spark with a quick 5-0 spurt, highlighted with a service ace by Emaline Handzel, to put them ahead 7-2 and force an early timeout from UIC. Drake kept up its pace as the set moved along and another service ace, this time from Davis, doubled the Bulldog lead, 12-6. The Flames did fight their way back, though and pulled even with Drake at the 15-15 mark. But Drake immediately countered with a 4-0 run, including back-to-back scores by Daufeldt, to squash any momentum UIC was gaining. Down the stretch, Drake solidified the frame taking six of the final seven points, 25-17.
 
The third set saw Drake and UIC trade points with the two sides coming even at 8-8 in the early goings. The Flames then started to separate away as they pushed away by four, 17-13, which caused Drake to call a timeout to put a pause on the UIC attack. When action resumed, however, UIC upped its lead to six at the 21-15 mark following a 4-0 scoring run. Drake put some pressure back on the Flames after a block from Bliss Beck and Kacia Brown cut the UIC lead down to three at 23-20, but UIC held on to take the set, 25-21.
 
With their backs now against the wall Drake needed to win set four to keep the match going but fell behind 13-8 due to another 4-0 run from the Flames. The Bulldogs then recomposed themselves and battled back to even at 14-14 using a 4-0 run of their own. Drake and UIC went on to match each other point-for-point all the way until the scoreboard read 22-22. That's when Drake flipped on the switch and closed out the frame with three consecutive points to take it, 25-22.
 
Now in the decisive fifth set, Drake looked to get behind the Knapp Center faithful and give the fans a win to close out the home season. Katie Quick led that charge as her service ace gave the Bulldogs a 6-4 advantage and caused the Flames to use a timeout. The stoppage in play didn't slow down Drake, however, and soon after, a 4-0 run capped with a Daufeldt ace put the Bulldogs up 10-5 and forced another timeout from the UIC bench. With all the momentum and the fans on their side, the Bulldogs closed out the set with a 3-0 run, 15-9, and took the match, 3-2.
 
Four different Bulldogs recorded double-digit kills in the match with Daufeldt pacing the team going for 20 kills on the night. Brown (12), Beck (11), and Caroline Smith (10) were the remaining three to reach double figure kills. Defensively, the Bulldogs were stout recording 13 blocks in the match. Beck and Davis tallied six each to lead the team. Elsewhere, Addison Beagle handed out 28 assists and Quick racked up 22 helpers of her own. Beagle also led the Bulldogs tallying 15 digs.
 
Drake ends its regular season next weekend with a road trip to the Hoosier State. The Bulldogs will first face off against Evansville on Friday, Nov. 14, and then take on Indiana State on Saturday, Nov. 15 in the season finale.