The Basics
The Drake volleyball team returns to the court this weekend for its first road games in MVC play taking on Illinois State and Bradley. The Bulldogs first take on the Redbirds on Friday night at 6 p.m. from Normal and then head over to Peoria for a 3 p.m. match against the Braves on Saturday.
Bulldogs by the Numbers
The Bulldogs began conference play last week and split their opening matches against UNI and Murray State. Drake fell to the Panthers in straight sets but bounced back with a sweep of the Racers to put an end to a five-match losing streak. Drake's overall record currently sits at 6-8, and it will look to improve upon its 1-3 record in road games with tough tests against the Redbirds and Braves.
On the offensive side, sophomore
Caroline Smith just surpassed 100 kills for the season last week. She has the second most kills on the Bulldog roster with 105, while
Lisa Melenciano continues her stellar senior campaign with a team-leading 157 kills. Meanwhile,
Jasmine Dulan continues to set the tone for the Bulldogs defensively and leads the league with 272 digs and 5.55 digs per set. In terms of national rankings, Dulan ranks ninth in total digs and second in digs per set.
Drake Leaders
Kills |
Lisa Melenciano – 157,
Caroline Smith – 105,
Bliss Beck – 83
Assists |
Katie Quick – 274,
Carolyn Maser – 220
Digs |
Jasmine Dulan – 272,
Katie Quick – 116,
Carolyn Maser – 88
Blocks |
Aniyah Davis – 41,
Bliss Beck – 37,
Lisa Melenciano – 36
Service Aces |
Jasmine Dulan – 14,
Bella Faria – 10,
Matthea Dalton – 10
Scouting Illinois State
The Redbirds are one of the hottest teams in the league coming into the weekend having won five in-a-row including a league opening sweep over UIC and Valparaiso last weekend. Overall, Illinois State is 11-2 on the season and is 2-1 in home matches. Illinois State ranks inside of the top-100 in the NCAA in seven categories, including in aces per set (11th - 2.13), winning percentage (14th - .846), digs per set (37th - 15.36), kills per set (56th - 13.33), hitting percentage (59th - .253), assists per set (62nd - 12.29), and opponent hitting percentage (88th - .186). The Redbirds will put their winning streak to the test when they take on UNI on Thursday night before they battle the Bulldogs on Friday.
The all-time series between Drake and Illinois State sees the Redbirds in the lead, 58-19, but the Bulldogs have been the dominant side in recent matchups having won seven straight over ISU. Drake is 9-31 all-time in road games against Illinois State.
Illinois State Leaders
Kills | Ruth Ziegler – 100, Jillian Ferrill – 97, Logan Grevengoed – 91
Assists | Ella Craggs – 239, Audrey Clark – 157
Digs | Samantha Bunch – 163, Ella Craggs – 101, Peyton Turner – 86
Blocks | Abby Reck – 34, Logan Grevengoed – 27, Addisyn Pohl – 20
Service Aces | Ruth Ziegler – 27, Jillian Gregory – 15, Ella Craggs – 14
Scouting Bradley
The Braves, who post an overall record of 7-7, won their first two league games of the season last weekend taking down Indiana State and Evansville. Bradley's offensive attack is led by Gracie Furlong with 212 kills and Maria Drapp who has dished out 569 assists. Chloe Parker also provides a threat on both sides of the net ranking second on the team in kills (130) and blocks (46). The Braves will also challenge UNI on Friday before welcoming the Bulldogs on Saturday.
Drake leads the all-time series over Bradley with a record of 42-34 and is also on a current seven-game winning streak against the Braves. Drake is 19-18 all-time in road contests against Bradley.
Bradley Leaders
Kills | Gracie Furlong – 212, Chloe Parker – 130, Mairen Mannon – 89
Assists | Maria Drapp – 569
Digs | Eirini Bitsaktsi – 199, Maria Drapp – 163, Gracie Furlong – 150
Blocks | Adeline Goedheer – 53, Chloe Parker – 46, Mairen Mannon – 20
Service Aces | Ava Patchett – 22, Maria Drapp – 13, Eirini Bitsaktsi – 10
Up Next
The Bulldogs will stay on the road for their next two matchups. Drake will rematch with UNI from Cedar Falls on Thursday, Oct. 8 and then head over to Terre Haute, Indiana to take on Indiana State on Saturday, Oct. 10.
