DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake volleyball team concluded its weekend with a four-set victory over the Valparaiso Beacons on Saturday evening putting its Missouri Valley Conference record back to .500 at 4-4.
Valparaiso got the jump on Drake in the early goings of the first set and claimed a 7-2 advantage following a 4-0 run. The Bulldogs fought their way back into contention, however, and used a 3-0 scoring spurt moments later to knot the frame up at 11-11. The Bulldogs then pulled ahead at 17-14 as
Bliss Beck and
Isabelle Kremer stepped up at the net with a combination block, but the Beacons wouldn't back down and eventually tied it up at 22-22 which forced Drake to take a timeout. When play resumed,
Caroline Smith smashed home a kill to give Drake a one-point lead, but the Beacons immediately countered with a 3-0 run to win the set, 25-23.
Drake began set two rushing out to a 6-2 lead with Kremer getting in on the offensive action scoring consecutive kills, but Valpo fired back and tied it at 10-10 moments later. The two sides traded points until Drake gained some separation using a 5-0 run to make the score 19-15. Smith led the charge for the Bulldogs during that span with another pair of kills and Beck provided a block and a score as well. Drake's lead ballooned all the way to 24-17 down the stretch, but the Beacons made a late push rattling off three straight points causing Drake head coach
Darrin McBroom to take a timeout and pause the surging momentum from his opponent's side. The break in action ultimately paid off as Valpo miscued with an attack error on the next point to give Drake the set, 25-20.
After the second set victory, the Bulldogs kept their groove going into the third set and grabbed a quick 5-1 lead. A 4-0 run from Drake with kills by Behrns, Beck, and Kremer then put Drake in firm control with a 10-3 advantage that it never relinquished. The Bulldogs went running again scoring five straight to up their lead to double digits at the 19-8 mark and by the end of the frame Drake was victorious, 25-14.
The fourth set saw Drake and Valpo go back-and-forth with scoring runs in the early goings until coming deadlocked at 12-12. Then it was the Beacons that started pull away going up 16-12, but Drake countered right back with another run and retook the lead, 17-16, with the freshman duo of Behrns and Kremer doing most of the damage. The back-and-forth action continued all the way to the 24-23 mark as Valpo went ahead by one, but Drake displayed its resiliency went on to win four of the next five points to secure the match, 27-25.
A trio of Bulldogs went for double-digit kills in the match in Behrns, Smith, and Kremer. Behrns was the leader of the bunch notching 18, while Smith and Kremer followed with 17 and 12 kills, respectively. Behrns also went for her second straight match with a double-double tallying 16 digs on the defensive side.
Katie Quick, meanwhile, was on fire from the setter position and set up her teammates all match long posting a new career-high with 55 assists. Rounding out the defensive numbers for Drake was
Jasmine Dulan with 21 digs,
Bella Faria with 14 digs, and Beck totaling nine blocks.
Drake returns to the hardwood next weekend with another pair of matches from the Knapp Center against Bradley and Evansville. The Bulldogs and Braves will square off first on Friday, Oct. 23 at 6 p.m. and then the Purple Aces make their way to Des Moines on Saturday, Oct. 24 for a 5 p.m. first serve.
