The Basics 
The Drake volleyball team is back on the court this weekend for the Wildcat Classic hosted by Kansas State from Manhattan, Kansas. The Bulldogs will take on Cal State Northridge on Saturday, September 5 at 11 a.m. and then challenge Kansas State on Sunday, Sep. 6 at 1 p.m.
  
Bulldogs by the Numbers 
The Bulldogs opened their 2026 campaign last weekend at home with the Drake Invitational and went 1-2 during the tournament. Drake fell in its first two matches to South Dakota and DePaul, but bounced back with a victory over Milwaukee. Bliss Beck was named to the All-Tournament Team for the Bulldogs and the junior currently ranks second on the team in kills (24) paces the Bulldogs in blocks (8).
 
Drake Leaders
Kills | Caroline Smith – 30, Bliss Beck – 24, Lisa Melenciano – 23
Assists | Carolyn Maser – 60, Katie Quick – 58
Digs | Jasmine Dulan – 64, Katie Quick – 28, Carolyn Maser – 25
Blocks | Bliss Beck – 8, Aniyah Davis – 6, Matthea Dalton – 5, Kamryn Behrns – 5
Service Aces | Bella Faria – 3, Lisa Melenciano – 3, Jasmine Dulan – 2
 
Scouting Cal State Northridge
The Matadors opened their season last week at the Buffs Classic in Boulder, Colorado and went 1-2 losing to Colorado and Denver but finishing with a win over Central Arkansas. CSUN was picked to finish sixth in the Big West Preseason Poll for 2026. Iye Okolo was a first week standout for the Matadors and was honored as the Big West Defensive Player of the Week after tallying 23 total blocks during the Buffs Classic.
 
Drake is 1-0 all-time against CSUN with the only previous meeting occurring in 2022. The Bulldogs swept the Matadors in their season opener at the Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic hosted by Air Force. Current Technical Coordinator for the Bulldogs, Haley Bush, had seven kills and two blocks in that match.
 
CSUN Leaders
Kills | Hailey Brockway – 37, Julia Bazylevych – 24, Tatiana Turgeon – 20
Assists | Katie Kolar – 64, Jan Marie Duhaylungsod – 59
Digs | Paige Sentes – 52, Hailey Brockway– 28, Jan Marie Duhaylungsod – 21
Blocks | Iye Okolo – 23, Tatiana Turgeon – 19, Annie Gilmore – 9
Service Aces | Paige Sentes – 3, Hailey Brockway – 3, Katie Kolar – 2
 
Scouting Kansas State 
The Wildcats come into their host tournament with an unblemished record of 2-0 after taking down Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Campbell last weekend Defensively, K-State was stout in its first two matches limited its opposition to a .149 hitting percentage led by senior libero Fuka Sekita, who totaled 3.14 digs per set and earned K-State Invitational MVP honors. The Wildcats were voted 11th in the Big 12 Preseason Poll.
 
Against the Wildcats, the Bulldogs have an all-time record of 3-17. The last time Drake and Kansas State met was in 2011 in Manhattan. Drake has lost five consecutive matches against K-State with the last Bulldog victory coming in 1993. The Bulldogs are just 1-11 all-time against Kansas State on the road. 
 
Kansas State Leaders
Kills | Addison Massey – 24, Reagan Fox – 14, Sydney Maue – 13
Assists | Camdyn Stucky – 36, Emerson van Lannen – 27
Digs | Fuka Sekita – 22, Camdyn Stucky– 16, Caleigh Ponn – 11
Blocks | Addison Massey – 6, Ellah Derrer – 6, Candence Lundgren – 5
Service Aces | Emerson van Lannen – 7, Camdyn Stucky – 2, Addison Massey – 2
 
Up Next 
The Bulldogs will stay at the road for the Kansas City Klassic from Kansas City, Missouri, Sep. 11-12. The Bulldogs will go up against Utah Valley, Radford, and Kansas City during the tournament.