CHICAGO, Ill. – The Drake volleyball team played it second consecutive road match to start Missouri Valley Conference play on Saturday night as it took on the Flames of UIC. In a tightly contested match, the Bulldogs came up just short of adding a tally in the win column as they fell to the Flames in five sets, 3-2.
 
Drake was out to an early lead in the first set that was sparked by a 4-0 run followed by a 3-0 run that was capped with a Macy Daufeldt kill at the 9-6 mark. The Flames eventually brought the frame back even at 10-10, but another run from Drake, this time a huge 10-1 streak with a bevy of Bulldogs securing kills, pushed the lead out to 19-11. UIC wouldn't go away quietly, however, and cut the deficit down to three at 24-21, but on the third consecutive match point, Bliss Beck gave Drake the win slamming home a kill, 25-21.
 
The second set started in favor of the Flames with UIC jumping out in front, 5-1. The Bulldogs climbed their way back, however, and off a Lisa Melenciano kill tied the frame up 12-12 at the halfway point. The two sides traded points back-and-forth over the next few serves ultimately coming together at 19-19 after a service ace by Addison Beagle. Drake then had to call a timeout after UIC took the following pair of points to regroup, which proved to be useful as Aniyah Davis pulled the Bulldogs to within one at 22-21, but UIC went on to win three of the next four points to claim the set, 25-22.
 
In the third set, the early stages proved to be another battle between Drake and UIC. The Bulldogs held a lead at the 9-6 mark after getting kills from Kacia Brown and Caroline Smith, but UIC countered with a 5-0 run to go up 11-9. The Flames held their lead over the Bulldogs until the 20-20 point as Drake went to Brown and Davis for back-to-back kills, which issued a timeout from UIC. A key 3-0 run in the final stages by Drake gave the Bulldogs the advantage they needed and Daufeldt ultimately secured the set with a kill, 25-23.
 
The defense provided Drake with a spark to get the fourth set started as a tag team block from Brown and Davis doubled up the flames at the 10-5 mark. Following another kill by Brown at the 17-13 point, UIC called a timeout and came out of the break with a 5-0 scoring streak and took its first lead of the frame, 18-17. The Bulldogs never regained the lead despite pulling within a point a couple of times down the stretch, and it was UIC who stayed alive to force a fifth and final set with a 25-22 set win in the fourth.
 
Drake found itself facing a deficit to begin the fifth set as UIC raced out to a 4-0 advantage. The Bulldogs then made it a two-point contest off a 3-0 run to chip away at their deficit and make the score 7-5 getting kills from Beck and Daufeldt. As the set moved along, Drake just couldn't quite pull closer to UIC as the Flames kept the Bulldog attack at bay. In the end, the Flames took the set, 15-12, and the match, 3-2.
 
Brown tallied the most kills in the match for the Bulldogs racking up 17 on the night. Smith was second in line with 13 kills and Daufeldt was the lone Bulldog to record a double-double with 12 kills and 13 digs. Melenciano also chipped in with 12 kills. Addison Beagle tallied a team-high 32 assists while Katie Quick also added 22 helpers. Gabbie Schroeder meanwhile led the team with 20 digs.
 
Drake returns home to Des Moines for its next match as it hosts in-state rival UNI on Tuesday, Sep. 30. First serve from the Knapp Center is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.