When the Drake volleyball team assembled in August there were many goals set for this season and the Bulldogs' ultimate milestone was to qualify for the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Championship for the first time since 1998. Mission accomplished, as Drake on the strength of a 22-11 overall mark, including a 10-8 ledger in league play, will meet fourth-seeded Creighton in an 8:00 p.m. showdown with host Creighton on Thursday (Nov. 26). The Turkey Day encounter will commence at approximately 8:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on MVC TV at the league's official website of www.mvc.org.
The winner of the match advances to face top-seeded Northern Iowa in a 6:00 p.m. tilt on Friday (Nov. 27).
FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS
Live stats will be available for both matches through www.GoDrakeBulldogs.com.
SCOUTING THE BLUEJAYS
Creighton (13-16), has won three of its last five matches since defeating Drake, 3-0, on Nov. 7, with both losses coming to nationally-ranked opponents. Jessica Houts is pacing the Creighton attack, registering 2.83 kills, 1.48 blocks and 1.16 digs. Nayka Benitez directs the Bluejays in digs (4.46), while Megan Bober is leading the squad in assists (9.55). Collectively, Creighton is recording 12.24 kills, 11.43 assists, 15.83 digs and 3.12 blocks.
SERIES RECORDS
The series between the Bulldogs and Creighton has been tightly fought as the Bluejays own a 18-16 advantage. Drake has not won at Creighton since posting a 3-2 decision on Nov. 15, 2002. Earlier this season, the Bulldogs collected a 3-1 victory in the Knapp Center on Oct. 10 before falling 3-0 at Creighton on Nov. 7.
THE COACHES
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is in her seventh campaign as head coach at Creighton, registering a 119-88 (.575) mark.
Phil McDaniel is in his second season at Drake and owns a 34-31 (.523) ledger.
HEAD COACH PHIL MCDANIEL
Phil McDaniel is in his second season guiding the Drake volleyball program.
He rekindled the Bulldogs in his initial campaign as Drake posted a 12-20 mark in 2008. The 12 victories marked the highest win total for a Bulldog team since the 1998 unit captured 13 triumphs. It also represented the first time any current member of the Drake team had won double-digit matches during their respective careers.
Off the court, the team was named as one of the AVCA Team Academic Award winners, recording a 3.5 grade point average for the 2008-09 academic year and then sophomore Angela Bys (Marion, Iowa/Marion) was tabbed to the All-MVC Scholar-Athlete first team.
An assistant coach at South Dakota State from 2005-2007, McDaniel helped the Jackrabbits claim the 2007 Summit League title as well as a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
During his tenure in Brookings, S.D., he spearheaded recruiting efforts for the SDSU program, as well as monitoring academic progress for the Jackrabbits, who were honored by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) with its Game Plan/AVCA Team Academic Award in 2005 and 2006.
During his last three years at South Dakota State, McDaniel played a part in helping lead the Jackrabbits to a 63-42 record, including the first-ever Division I NCAA Tournament appearance in school history in 2007.
McDaniel came to South Dakota State after spending three seasons (2002-04) as an assistant coach at New Mexico State. The Aggies were 86-15 during his tenure and claimed the Sun Belt Conference crown in each of his three campaigns while winning berths in the NCAA Tournament in 2003 and 2004.
While in Las Cruces, N.M., he coached Stevi Adams (2004 Sun Belt Conference Most Outstanding Player and 2004 AVCA South All-Region Team), Trinia Cuseo (2003 AVCA South All-Region Team and 2003 AVCA All-America Honorable Mention) and Jackie Godber (2003 Sunbelt Defensive Player of the Year and 2003 AVCA South All-Region Team).
The Mt. Zion, Ill., native served as head coach at J.H. Rose High School in Greenville, N.C. from 2000-02, where he was twice named as the Big East Conference 4A Coach of the Year (2000 & 2001) in directing the school to a 42-7 ledger.
He earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Culver-Stockton College in 1996 and a master's degree in counselor education from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in 1998. He competed on the soccer and tennis squads while at Culver-Stockton.
DRAKE MVC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Bulldogs will be making their seventh MVC Tournament appearance and first since 1998 when Drake battles Creighton on Thursday (Nov. 26). The Bulldogs are 4-6 in their previous 10 tournament encounters and will be meeting the Bluejays for the first time in postseason play. In each of its last three tournament appearances Drake has won its first match.
BULLDOG DUO CAPTURES ALL-MVC SCHOLAR-ATHLETE LAURELS
Juniors Angela Bys and Alana Wittenburg (Readlyn, Iowa/Wapsie Valley) were rewarded for their work in the classroom by collecting All-Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete accolades.
A secondary education major, Bys garnered first team honors for the second consecutive year and owns a 3.67 GPA. She has started all 33 matches for Drake and averages 2.58 kills and 1.21 digs per set, while leading the Bulldogs in kills (310), kills per set (2.58) and total attacks (1.82).
Majoring in health sciences, Wittenburg collected honorable mention laurels sporting a 3.37 GPA. She has appeared in all 33 matches for Drake and leads the team in digs (614) and digs per set (5.04). Her 614 digs established a new single-season school record, surpassing her own record of 603 set a season ago. She is also ranked 30th in the NCAA in digs per set.
MADDEN SNARES CAREER DIG NO. 1,000
Senior Emily Madden (Van Meter, Iowa/Adel DeSoto Minburn) became only the fifth player in school history to record 1,000 career digs with her fourth of 10 digs in a 3-1 victory over Evansville (Nov. 13).
LAUERSDORF ACHIEVES CAREER ASSIST NO. 3,000
Chelsea Lauersdorf (Watertown, Wis./Watertown) became only the third player in school history to distribute 3,000 assists after registering 26 assists in a 3-2 win over Southern Illinois (Nov. 14).
BULLDOGS CRACK 20-WIN PLATEAU FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 1996
Drake cracked the 20-win plateau for the first time since 1996 with its 3-1 victory against Evansville (Nov. 13). The milestone marked the first time since the Bulldogs went 24-4 in 1996 that the Bulldogs had reached the 20-win milestone.
DRAKE HONORED TRIO OF SENIORS
Having been at the epicenter of the resurgence of Drake volleyball over the past two seasons, seniors Chelsea Lauersdorf, Emily Madden and Lindsay Schryver (Williams Bay, Wis./Williams Bay) were honored prior to the Bulldogs' regular season finale with Southern Illinois on Saturday (Nov. 14). The trio has appeared in 115, 123 and 115 matches, respectively.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
With the Bulldogs' 3-2 triumph over Southern Illinois (Nov. 14), Phil McDaniel registered his 33rd coaching victory at Drake to move him past Cheryl McConnell into fourth place on the Bulldogs' career coaching victory list. He is 34-31 overall and 18 wins shy of surpassing Bob Bowers, who posted a 51-55 mark as head coach from 1976-77.
MARCHING TOWARDS BULLDOG HISTORY
Junior Alana Wittenburg has registered 1,641 career digs in 95 career matches. She surpassed Brandy Ossian (1,455/1993-96) for top honors in school history with her 19-dig performance versus Illinois State (Oct. 24). Her 614 digs this season also established a new single-season school record for digs, surpassing her own mark (603) set last season. Junior Angela Bys has 1,170 career kills, good for second in the school record book, 62 behind Eve Johnson (1,232/2003-06). She also is rated fourth in career attack attempts with 3,384. Emily Madden is moving up the charts at second all-time with 3,581 attack attempts and fourth in career digs with 1,036.
LAST TIME OUT
Northern Iowa 3, Drake 2 (Nov. 21, 2009)
CEDAR FALLS, IOWA - Rallying from a 2-0 deficit No. 21 Northern Iowa spoiled a stunning near-upset by Drake as the Panthers posted a 3-2 (24-26, 21-25, 25-21, 25-7, 15-6) triumph over the Bulldogs on Saturday (Nov. 21) in the McLeod Center.
The first set was a back and forth affair with 13 ties and the result wasn't decided until a kill by Angela Bys giving Drake a 26-24 decision.
Trailing 5-4 in the second stanza, the Bulldogs went on a 12-4 run to assume a 17-8 advantage en route to a 25-21 victory. Emily Madden capped the set with a kill.
The Panthers rallied in the third set with 19 kills to record a 25-21 triumph.
Northern Iowa jumped out to a 15-5 lead in the fourth frame and didn't look back en route to posting a 25-7 win. The Panthers collected 14 kills against zero errors in recording a .483 hitting percentage in the game.
Drake entered the winner-take-all fifth frame having won six of its previous five-set matches this season, but Northern Iowa proved to be too much in hauling in a 15-6 decision.
Chelsea Lauersdorf notched her seventh consecutive double-double with a 28-assist, 11-dig effort.
Bys paced the Bulldogs with 17 kills, while Alana Wittenburg recorded 23 digs.
Madden chipped in a double-double for Drake with 10 kills and 10 digs.
The Panthers bested Drake in kills (75-55), assists (67-52), service aces (3-2) and digs (89-74), while the Bulldogs won the battle at the net in blocks (7.0-6.0). Drake finished the match with a .330 attack mark compared to Northern Iowa, who registered a .172 hitting percentage.
BULLDOGS BITES
• Emily Heffernen and sophomore Michelle Reidy (Dubuque, Iowa/Wahlert Catholic) sport the eighth- and ninth-best single season attack marks in school history at .295 and .293, respectively.
• With its victory over Bradley, Drake has won its most matches (22) in a season since going 24-4 in 1996.
• Angela Bys has posted double-figure kills in 61 of 95 career matches.
• Emily Heffernen has recorded at least one block in 32 of Drake's 33 matches this season, including the previous 32 contests.
• Michelle Reidy owns blocks in 31 of 33 matches this fall, including nine affairs with seven or more in which the Bulldogs have gone 8-1. In her career, she has collected at least one block in 58 of 62 matches.
• Five Drake players have collected 10 or more service aces this season, led by 32 from Chelsea Lauersdorf. She is joined by Emily Madden, sophomore Erika Price (Littleton, Colo./Dakota Ridge), Michelle Reidy and Alana Wittenburg with 17, 15, 15 and 14 aces, respectively.
• In its 22 matches won, Drake has two starters attacking the ball at a .300 clip or better in Reidy (.327) and Heffernen (.325). As a team, the Bulldogs have registered a .232 hitting percentage in those contests, while limiting the opposition to a .120 attack mark on the strength of 13.10 kills, 16.65 digs, 11.94 assists and 2.66 blocks.
• The Bulldogs have registered 23 double-doubles this season, led by 13 from Chelsea Lauersdorf (Eastern Illinois - Aug. 29; Northern Colorado - Sept. 11; Illinois State - Sept. 25; Wichita State - Oct. 3; Southern Illinois - Oct. 16; Illinois State - Oct. 24; Missouri State - Oct. 31; Creighton - Nov. 7; South Dakota - Nov. 9; Evansville - Nov. 13; Southern Illinois - Nov.14; Bradley - Nov. 20; Northern Iowa - Nov. 21), five by Emily Madden (Eastern Illinois - Aug. 29; Indiana State - Oct. 23; South Dakota - Nov. 9; Evansville - Nov. 13; Northern Iowa - Nov. 21), three by Caitlin Johnson (Northern Colorado - Sept. 11; Southern Illinois - Nov. 14; Northern Iowa - Nov. 21) and one each courtesy Angela Bys (Indiana State - Oct. 24) and Emily Heffernen (Bradley - Nov. 20).
• Drake is 12-0 when recording 10 or more blocks in a match.
• The Bulldogs have won 11 matches in three games and six tilts in five. Six matches this season has gone four games - a pair of 3-1 losses to Iowa State and Missouri State and a quintet of 3-1 victories over Creighton, at Southern Illinois, versus Indiana State, at South Dakota and versus Southern Illinois.
• Drake has bettered its opponents in victories won by game in every frame this season. The Bulldogs are 72-50 in games captured.
• The Bulldogs are 8-1 when recording five or more service aces.
• Drake has hit .230 or better in 13 matches this season, compiling a 12-1 record.
• The Bulldogs have held opponents under a .150 attack percentage 16 times this season, compiling a perfect 16-0 mark.
• Drake is 13-1 when collecting more digs than its
• Eastern Illinois and Creighton are the only teams that have recorded double-digit blocks against Drake this season. The Bulldogs defeated the Panthers, 3-2, at the IPFW Tournament.
IN OUR LAST MEETING
Creighton 3, Drake 0 (Nov. 7, 2009)
OMAHA, NEB. - Avenging an earlier setback this season, Creighton earned a 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-20) decision over Drake in Missouri Valley Conference volleyball action.
Drake was done in offensively by registering only a .072 hitting percentage compared to Creighton's .220.
Chelsea Lauersdorf led Drake with an 18-assist and 11-dig performance for her team-leading eighth double-double of the season.
Emily Heffernen contributed 11 kills and four blocks on the night. Alana Wittenburg had 14 digs.
Creighton bettered the Bulldogs in kills (41-39), assists (39-37), service aces (3-1) and blocks (11.0-6.0), while digs were all square at 58.
DRAKE STEADY IN NCAA RPI
Drake checks in at No. 98 in the latest NCAA RPI rankings released on Monday (Nov. 23). The Bulldogs are the fifth-highest ranked MVC school behind Northern Iowa (20), Wichita State (28), Missouri State (51) and Creighton (90).
DIGS FOR THE CURE
Drake's home match with Indiana State (Oct. 23) served as the Bulldogs' Dig for the Cure event to raise breast cancer awareness. Drake players donned pink socks and hair ribbons for the event and fans were asked to play their part by wearing pink in support of breast cancer awareness month.
HEFFERNEN NAMED MVC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
The Missouri Valley Conference announced on Oct. 26 that Emily Heffernen was selected as the State Farm MVC Freshman of the Week. The honor marked the second time this season that Heffernen had been recognized with the weekly accolade.
Heffernen fashioned together a strong week to help Drake extend its winning streak to seven straight matches, registering 2.42 kills, 0.58 blocks and 0.42 digs per game.
In Drake's 3-1 victory over Indiana State (Oct. 23), she posted 12 kills against no errors to collect a career-best .632 hitting percentage. She also added four blocks against the Sycamores.
A day later, she added 12 kills in the Bulldogs' come-from-behind 3-2 win over Illinois State. She chipped in two blocks.
I'LL TAKE KILLS FOR A 1,000
Angela Bys became only the eighth Drake player to surpass the 1,000-kill plateau when she collected her seventh of a team-high eights kills against South Dakota State on Oct. 7.
IT'S BEEN A WHILE
Drake's come-from-behind win at Illinois State (Sept. 25) snapped a 26-match losing streak to the Redbirds. The Bulldogs' victory was the first overall against Illinois State since 1996 and the first in Normal (Ill.) since 1995.
START STRONG, STAY STRONG
The Bulldogs have started strong this season, outscoring opponents in game one (748-704). In game two, three and four Drake holds a 723-722, 758-699 and 338-313 advantage, respectively. The Bulldogs own a 15-point advantage in game five this season, 108-93.
TOURNAMENT FINISHES
Drake has recorded one tournament championship (Hampton Inn Drake Invitational) and two second-place finishes (IPFW Invitational and Hawkeye Challenge) this season.
JUST GET IT OVER WITH
The Bulldogs have swept 11 matches this season, topping the total of six recorded last fall. The last time the Bulldogs won 11 matches by a sweep was the 1996 season when they recorded 13.
I'M DIGGIN IT
Alana Wittenburg has collected double-digit digs in 30 of Drake's 33 matches this season. She recorded a career-high 35 digs against South Dakota on Sept. 4 at the Hampton Inn Drake Invitational. In her 95 career matches, Wittenburg has recorded 81 double-digit dig performances.
"SETTING" AN EXAMPLE
Senior setter Chelsea Lauersdorf has been named to the all-tournament team in each of Drake's tournaments this fall. She ranks third all-time with 3,064 career assists.
YOU CAN ALWAYS GO HOME
With its victory over Southern Illinois (Nov. 14), Drake registered its 11th home win, the most since the 1995 team recorded 10 victories in the Knapp Center.
PLAYING WITH THE BEST OF THEM
The Bulldogs rank 43rd (out of 329 Division I programs) in the NCAA in digs per set (16.58), 63rd in blocks per frame (2.33) and 73rd in winning percentage (.667). Alana Wittenburg is rated 30th in digs per set (5.04).
SHE DOESN'T PLAY LIKE A ROOKIE
Redshirt freshman Emily Heffernen is playing like a seasoned veteran this season, ranking second in total blocks (116), block assists (103), blocks per game (0.96) and solo blocks (13). She was named to the IPFW All-Tournament team and received MVC Newcomer of the Week honors earlier this season.
BULLDOGS TABBED EIGHTH
The Missouri Valley Conference released its preseason volleyball poll Aug. 13 and Drake received 33 points, placing eighth, in a vote of the league's coaches.
Defending league champion Wichita State was again tabbed as the preseason favorite with 99 points, receiving all but one of the first-place votes. Garnering the other first-place vote and finishing second with 87 points was Missouri State. Northern Iowa (84 points), Creighton (81 points), Southern Illinois (52 points), Evansville (47 points) and Illinois State (42 points) rounded out the top seven. Finishing the poll was Bradley (24 points) and Indiana State (19 points).
ONE YEAR AGO
The Bulldogs had concluded their campaign at 11-20 with Drake registering 11.61 kills, 15.54 digs, 10.74 assists, 1.16 service aces and 2.00 blocks per frame. Angela Bys paced the squad in kills (3.33), while Wittenburg distributed 4.96 digs per stanza.
IN OUR LAST FIVE MATCHES
The Bulldogs have averaged 12.65 kills, 17.39 digs, 11.22 assists, 0.74 service aces and 2.48 blocks per game in their last five matches en route to a 4-1 mark. Leading the way at 2.65 kills per frame is Angela Bys. Alana Wittenburg paces the way in digs at 5.22 per set, while Chelsea Lauersdorf averages 6.48 assists and Emily Heffernen and Michelle Reidy are both averaging 1.13 blocks per stanza.
STRONG AT THE NET
The key factor in the Bulldogs' success this season has been the play at the net where Drake owns a respectable margin in blocks over its opponents. Through 33 matches, the Bulldogs have garnered 284.0 blocks to just 175.0 for their opponents. Drake leads in solo blocks, 52-47, but has dominated the opposition in block assists, 464-256. Eight Drake players have posted double-figure blocks this year. That list includes Michelle Reidy (121), Emily Heffernen (116), Alisa DeBerg Roth (88), Emily Madden (51), Angela Bys (47), Mikayla Sims (35), Nicole Brown (Appleton, Wis./Xavier) (24) and Chelsea Lauersdorf (24).
WINS VERSUS LOSSES
In their 22 victories this season, the Bulldogs are averaging 13.10 kills, 16.65 digs and 11.94 assists per game, while limiting their opponents to 11.63 kills, 16.12 digs and 10.87 assists. In its 11 setbacks, Drake has registered 11.64 kills, 16.44 digs and 10.90 assists per frame, while seeing the opposition record 14.82 kills, 19.03 digs and 13.85 assists.
UP NEXT
A victory propels Drake into the tournament semifinals and a date with top-seeded Northern Iowa, while a loss brings to a close the Bulldogs' campaign.
