The Basics
The Drake volleyball team is back on the court this weekend for more tournament action at the Kansas City Klassic hosted by the Kansas City Roos. The Bulldogs will go up against Utah Valley, Radford, and Kansas City during the tournament. Drake will play Utah Valley and Radford on Friday and close with the Roos on Saturday.
Bulldogs by the Numbers
The Bulldogs come into the Kansas City Klassic with an overall record of 2-3 after splitting its pair of matches at the Wildcat Classic against Cal State Northridge and Kansas State last weekend. Drake battled past CSUN in a five set victory, but fell to K-State in straight sets. In the match against CSUN, Drake had a trio of athletes record career highs as
Lisa Melenciano went for 27 kills,
Jasmine Dulan recorded 30 digs, and
Katie Quick tallied 35 assists and 20 digs.
Drake Leaders
Kills |
Lisa Melenciano – 63,
Caroline Smith – 45,
Matthea Dalton – 35
Assists |
Katie Quick – 110,
Carolyn Maser – 86
Digs |
Jasmine Dulan – 113,
Katie Quick – 53,
Carolyn Maser – 37
Blocks |
Aniyah Davis – 14,
Lisa Melenciano – 12,
Bliss Beck – 12
Service Aces |
Bella Faria – 7,
Matthea Dalton – 5,
Jasmine Dulan – 3,
Lisa Melenciano – 3
Scouting Utah Valley
Utah Valley has had a tough start to its 2026 campaign and has started out the year winless at 0-6. The Wolverines lost to Utah Tech, Utah, and Oregon State in its home opening tournament at the end of August and then fell to South Dakota, UNI, and Air Force last weekend at the South Dakota Classic. Utah Valley lost all three of its matches at the South Dakota Classic in straight sets. The Wolverines were picked to finish fourth in the Big West preseason poll.
Drake will meet Utah Valley on the hardwood for the first time ever when it opens the tournament on Friday afternoon.
Utah Valley Leaders
Kills | Madi Standifird – 52, Alyvia Watkins – 30, Evalyn Medaris – 30
Assists | Evalyn Medaris – 165
Digs | Lani Toutai – 88, Evalyn Medaris – 45, Chloe Hansen – 31
Blocks | Brielle Rueckert – 20, Olivia Gloeckner – 16, Alyvia Watkins – 15
Service Aces | Chloe Hansen – 5, Lani Toutai – 3, Madi Standifird – 2, Myka Christensen – 2
Scouting Radford
Radford makes its way to Kansas City with an overall record of 2-5 in the early portion of the 2026 season. The Highlanders are coming off a midweek tilt against Liberty where they lost in straight sets this past Tuesday. Radford's two wins this year have come against Hampton and Prairie View A&M. The Highlanders were voted sixth in the Big South Preseason Poll.
The Bulldogs' second matchup on Friday will also be another first-time contest when they go up against Radford.
Radford Leaders
Kills | Taryn Roberts – 72, Macie Potter – 68, Addison Cunnagin – 44
Assists | Lea Gage – 220, Alyssa Cadavid – 71
Digs | Mia Jannazzo – 119, Macie Potter – 89, Lea Gage – 38
Blocks | Taryn Roberts – 20, Maja Bochenek – 10
Service Aces | Mia Jannazzo – 6, Lea Gage – 6, Addison Cunnagin – 4
Scouting Kansas City
The hosts for the weekend, Kansas City, carry a record of 4-2 after participating in two early season tournaments, the Stacheville Challenge and the Miami/Best Western Invitational. While at the Stacheville Challenge, Chloe Kaminski racked up 61 digs over three contests which earned her Summit League Defensive Player of the Week honors. Kaminski, along with teammate Ryanne Wattree, were named to the Summit League Preseason Watchlist, while the Roos were voted seventh in the preseason poll.
In the all-time series against Kansas City, Drake holds the lead with a record of 20-8 over the Roos. It has been a decade since the two sides last met with a neutral site match from Omaha, Neb. in 2016 where KC came away with a win in five sets. Drake is 7-5 all-time against the Roos in games played from Kansas City.
Kansas City Leaders
Kills | Ryanne Wattree – 80, Emry Brown – 64, Mia Weaver – 40
Assists | Savy Repinski – 139, Coco Buschhorn – 85
Digs | Chloe Kaminski – 108, Mia Weaver – 62, Coco Buschhorn – 42
Blocks | Stella Smith – 20, Emry Brown – 15, Hannah Wayment – 15
Service Aces | Chloe Kaminski – 9, Mia Weaver – 8, Savy Repinski – 8
Up Next
The Bulldogs will split a pair of midweek contests at home and on the road. Drake will host Omaha from the Knapp Center on Tuesday, Sep. 15 at 6 p.m. and then travel to Iowa City on Wednesday, Sep. 16 to challenge the Hawkeyes with first serve scheduled for 8 p.m.
