The Basics
The Drake volleyball team is set to take to the court this weekend with another pair of Missouri Valley conference road matches against in-state rival UNI and Indiana State. The Bulldogs first take on the Panthers on Thursday night at 6 p.m. from Cedar Falls and then head over to Terre Haute for a 5 p.m. CT match against the Sycamores on Saturday.
Bulldogs by the Numbers
Last weekend the Bulldogs split their matches against Illinois State and Bradley. Both matches went five sets with the Bulldogs taking the win over the Redbirds, but falling to the Braves. The Bulldogs now have an overall record of 7-9 and are 2-2 in the early portion of the league season. Drake will look to improve upon its away record of 2-4 when it takes on the Panthers and Sycamores this week.
Freshman
Kamryn Behrns had a stellar weekend against the Redbirds and Braves going for 14 kills against Illinois State and 13 kills against Bradley. Those are her highest kill totals of the season. She now ranks third on Drake with 105 kills this season. Setter
Carolyn Maser set a new career high with 32 assists in the match against Bradley last weekend. Maser's previous career best was 24 assists which she achieved twice earlier this season against Milwaukee and Utah Valley.
Drake Leaders
Kills |
Lisa Melenciano – 180,
Caroline Smith – 106,
Kamryn Behrns – 105
Assists |
Katie Quick – 325,
Carolyn Maser – 272
Digs |
Jasmine Dulan – 319,
Matthea Dalton – 131,
Katie Quick – 130
Blocks |
Aniyah Davis – 51,
Bliss Beck – 42,
Lisa Melenciano – 39
Service Aces |
Jasmine Dulan – 15,
Matthea Dalton – 14,
Carolyn Maser – 11
Scouting UNI
The Panthers are off to an undefeated start in conference play at 4-0 and have yet to drop a set against an MVC opponent. Last weekend UNI picked up wins over Illinois State and Bradley and now sits at 10-5 overall. In the first issue of this season's RPI, Northern Iowa checked in at No. 98 to lead the way for the MVC. UNI also holds the longest regular-season Conference win streak in the nation, winning 56-straight matches dating back to the 2022 season.
UNI leads the all-time series between the Bulldogs and Panthers with a mark of 83-7. Drake has dropped 10 straight to the Panthers including the meeting earlier this season from Des Moines on Sep. 22. The Bulldogs are 3-40 all-time in road contests against UNI.
UNI Leaders
Kills | Cassidy Hartman – 223, Lily Dykstra – 220, Isabelle Elliott – 95
Assists | Reese Booth – 526, Jadyn Petersen – 92
Digs | Jadyn Petersen – 262, Reese Booth – 195, Cassidy Hartman – 180
Blocks | Grace Hannam – 58, Maryn Bixby – 51, Cassidy Hartman – 33
Service Aces | Resse Booth – 17, Jadyn Petersen – 13, Lily Dykstra – 12
Scouting Indiana State
The Sycamores carry an overall record 7-8 on the season and are 1-3 in MVC play. Last weekend, Indiana State picked up its first league win with a five-set victory over Murray State. The Sycamores have suffered losses to Belmont, Bradley, and Southern Illinois in league play this season. In all three of those losses Indiana State was swept by their opponent. Indiana State will go up against Illinois State on Friday before it welcomes the Bulldogs to town.
In the series against Indiana State, Drake holds the lead with a record of 44-29. The Bulldogs swept the season series against the Sycamores last season and have won six straight over Indiana State. Drake is 20-16 all-time in road matches against Indiana State.
Indiana State Leaders
Kills | Curry Kendall – 176, Kira Holland – 169, Corinne Knapp – 90
Assists | Avery Hales – 428, Hadley Hardersen – 208
Digs | Emmy Sher – 185, Kira Holland – 175, Avery Hales – 129
Blocks | Lily Mueller – 54, Ella Scott – 33, Curry Kendall – 27
Service Aces | Corinne Knapp – 20, Avery Hales – 15, Ella Scott – 14
Up Next
The Bulldogs will return to the Knapp Center for their next set of games against UIC and Valparaiso next weekend. Drake will first take on the Flames on Friday, Oct. 16 at 6 p.m. and follow against the Beacons on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 5 p.m.
