TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Drake volleyball team concluded its four-game road swing with a four set victory on Saturday evening when it took on the Indiana State Sycamores from inside ISU Arena.
Set one saw the Bulldogs grab the lead as they used a pair of 4-0 scoring runs to set the score at 11-6 in the early goings. Drake then maintained its lead through the media timeout and eventually stretched it to 19-12 following a defensive block by
Kamryn Behrns and
Aniyah Davis. After a couple of errors by the Sycamores, the Bulldogs were just two points away from a set win at 23-14, but Indiana State wouldn't go down easy. The home side made a late push with a 7-1 run cutting Drake's lead down to 24-21, but the Bulldogs prevailed as
Bliss Beck scored the winning kill on the next point to claim the frame.
After drawing even at 6-6 to open the second set, Indiana State gained a bit of separation away from Drake with a 3-0 run to take the first significant lead of the frame. Moments later, another run by Indiana State, this time a 5-0 burst, put the Bulldogs in a 16-9 deficit. Following an Indiana State kill that put Drake down 21-13, the Bulldogs looked to regroup to force a late rally and used a timeout. The quick break did spark a bit of momentum for the Bulldogs as they rattled off three scores when play resumed, but Indiana State countered with a 3-0 run of its own to end the frame at 25-18 and even the match.
The third set featured back-and-forth action the whole way between the Bulldogs and Sycamores, but it was Drake that jumped ahead at the 11-8 mark following a 4-0 scoring run that featured kills from Davis,
Matthea Dalton, and
Emily Lisi. A 3-0 counter run by the Sycamores pulled them within a point of the Bulldogs shortly after, but a
Caroline Smith kill ended the run and gave Drake a 15-13 lead at the media break. As the set moved along neither side could break away from one another ultimately leading to a stalemate at the 22-22 mark when the Sycamores scored off a service ace. Indiana State then had a set point opportunity at 24-23, but the Bulldogs called a timeout to stall the Sycamore momentum. Drake's planned worked and the momentum flipped to its side as the Bulldogs proceeded with a 3-0 run to close out the set, 26-24.
The Bulldogs and Sycamores were right back at it with another back-and-forth frame for set four. Following some early point trading, it was Drake once again sneaking out to an early lead at 9-6 behind a 4-0 scoring streak. Indiana State climbed right back into contention, however, and the Bulldogs and Sycamores were all tied up at the 15-15 mark. Down the stretch, Drake and Indiana State matched each other point-for-point all the way until Lisi tied it up at 21-21, which is when the Bulldogs made their move and finally gained a slight edge over the Sycamores. Drake would win the next three points off a block by Beck and Dalton, a Beck kill, and another kill by Lisi giving Drake a pivotal 24-21 lead. After a timeout, Indiana State charged back with two quick points, making it 24-23, but Drake got the match winning kill from Dalton in the end on the following play.
Smith was the leader for Drake on the offensive side of the net and tallied 14 kills in the match. A duo of Bulldogs also totaled double figures in the kill column with Beck and Dalton going for 12 each. Dalton was also one of two Bulldogs to record a double-double on the night as she recorded 10 digs defensively.
Carolyn Maser was the other player to achieve the double-double going for 21 assists and 11 digs. Meanwhile,
Katie Quick tallied a team-high 27 assists and
Jasmine Dulan led the Bulldogs with 20 digs.
Drake will return to action next weekend when it hosts UIC and Valparaiso for a pair of matches from the Knapp Center. The Bulldogs will first challenge the Flames on Friday, Oct. 16 at 6 p.m. and follow up against the Beacons on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 5 p.m.
