VERMILLION, S.D. – The Drake volleyball team went up against a familiar face in an old Missouri Valley Conference foe, the Wichita State Shockers, on Thursday evening to open play at the South Dakota Classic, but suffered the loss in four sets, 3-1.
A couple of early scoring runs from the Shockers put the Bulldogs behind in the first set as the score hit the 7-2 mark causing Drake to use a timeout. As the set moved along, Drake couldn't dig itself out of the hole it was in, and Wichita State extended its lead out to 14-7. The Bulldogs tried to gain some momentum after
Macy Daufeldt recorded back-to-back kills to make the score 18-11, but the Shockers eventually pulled away and won the set, 25-14.
It was another slow start for Drake in the second set as it faced a 12-5 deficit. However, the momentum started to shift at the 16-7 mark when Drake capitalized of some attack errors by Wichita and went on its first significant scoring run of the match. Moments later, a kill from
Bliss Beck made the score 19-18 and pulled the Bulldogs within a point of the Shockers. Following a timeout, Drake used a 5-0 scoring streak, highlighted by a pair of kills from
Aniyah Davis and a
Katie Quick service ace, to take lead over Wichita, 23-21. The Bulldogs then went to their leading scorers on the season in Daufeldt and
Kacia Brown to record the final two points of the set and secure the win, 25-22.
The third set between the Bulldogs and Shockers was full of back-and-forth action as the two sides came together early on at 6-6. Wichita gained a little bit of separation using a 3-0 run, but the Bulldogs used a 3-0 run of their own, with kills from Daufeldt, Brown, and
Emily Lisi, to make it a one score frame at 13-12. The set would remain close down the wire, but Drake couldn't quite get over the hump and remained one or two points behind as the score went into the twenties. After a Drake timeout, the Bulldogs were able to tie the set at 22-22 with a tag team block by Daufeldt and Davis, but the Shockers proceeded to score three of the final four points to take the frame, 25-23.
In the fourth set, Drake was once again facing a deficit in the early stages, 9-3. The Bulldogs, however, chipped away at that deficit and used a 4-0 run to force a timeout by Wichita at the 16-12 mark. When the action resumed, Drake tried its best to close the gap even further, but the closest it would get was at the 23-20 point off a solo block from Brown. Soon after Wichita State won the set, 25-21, and the match, 3-1.
"It was a tough match today against a very good Wichita State team," Drake head coach
Darrin McBroom said. "We did some things well, but we were edged out in too many areas. We will try to build on the things we did well tomorrow."
Brown had a big day for the Bulldogs recording a double-double with a team-high 16 kills and 21 digs. Daufeldt was right behind Brown on the stat sheet with a double-double of her own with 15 kills and 16 digs. Meanwhile,
Carolyn Maser and
Katie Quick each dished out 22 assists and
Gabbie Schroeder posted 22 digs to lead the team on the defensive side.
Drake returns to the court with its second contest of the South Dakota Classic against Villanova tomorrow. First serve with the Wildcats is slated for 4 p.m. CT.
