Drake closes out its four-match road swing this week facing Creighton and South Dakota. The Bulldogs will look to gain a key Missouri Valley Conference tiebreaker as they go for the season sweep of the Bluejays on Saturday (Nov. 7) at 7:00 p.m. Drake then tangles with South Dakota on Monday (Nov. 9) at 6:00 p.m.
FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS
Live stats will be available for both matches through www.GoDrakeBulldogs.com.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Creighton (9-14, 6-7 MVC), in spite of dropping its last two matches has won three of the Bluejays' last four contests. Jessica Houts is pacing the Creighton attack, registering 2.78 kills, 1.44 blocks and 1.08 digs. Nayka Benitez directs the Bluejays in digs (4.30), while Megan Bober is leading the squad in assists (9.22). Collectively, Creighton is recording 11.94 kills, 11.08 assists, 14.80 digs and 3.05 blocks.
South Dakota (11-13) comes into play this week earning wins in six of its last eight tilts. Kristen Kritenbrink leads the Coyotes, averaging a team-high 3.20 kills, while adding 2.27 digs per game. Mallory Mork directs the defensive attack with 3.61 digs, while Gina Baldwin is distributing 8.85 assists. As a unit, South Dakota is registering 11.16 kills, 10.28 assists, 14.05 digs and 2.02 blocks.
SERIES RECORDS
The series between the Bulldogs and Creighton has been tightly fought as the Bluejays own a slim 17-16 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.
The Bulldogs encounter South Dakota for the fourth time in school history and the second time this season. The Coyotes have won the previous two showdowns and own a 2-1 series lead. South Dakota earned a 3-2 triumph against the Bulldogs in the opening match of the Hampton Inn Drake Invitational on Sept. 4.
THE COACHES
Kirsten Bernthal Booth is in her seventh campaign as head coach at Creighton, registering a 115-86 (.572) mark.
Matt Houk is in his second year leading South Dakota, posting a 34-17 (.667) record.
Phil McDaniel is in his second season at Drake and owns a 30-29 (.508) 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.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
With the Bulldogs' 3-1 triumph at Southern Illinois (Oct. 16), Phil McDaniel registered his 27th coaching victory at Drake to move him past Randy Dolson into fifth place on the Bulldogs' career coaching victory list. He is three wins shy of surpassing Cheryl McConnell, who posted a 32-13-3 mark in her lone season as head coach in 1978.
MARCHING TOWARDS BULLDOG HISTORY
Junior Alana Wittenburg (Readlyn, Iowa/Wapsie Valley) has registered 1,507 career digs in 89 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). Junior Angela Bys has 1,100 career kills, good for fifth in the school record book, 12 behind Staci Schmidt (1993-96). She also is rated sixth in career attack attempts with 3,006. Senior Emily Madden (Van Meter, Iowa/Adel DeSoto Minburn) is moving up the charts at third all-time with 3,359 attack attempts and fifth in career digs with 965. She needs 35 digs to become only the fifth player in school history to collect 1,000 digs.
LAST TIME OUT
Missouri State 3, Drake 1 (Oct. 31, 2009)
SPRINGFIELD, MO. - The gap between the elite in the Missouri Valley Conference and Drake continues to dissipate but the Bulldogs still lack that marquee victory after giving a valiant fight in dropping a 3-1 (19-25, 27-25, 21-25, 25-16) decision at Missouri State.
Missouri State raced out to an 8-3 lead in game one but the Bulldogs refused to give in as Drake cut the deficit to one point on four different occasions before the Bears closed out the frame on a 10-4 run to record a 25-19 decision.
The second stanza saw the Bulldogs jump out to a 9-2 lead before Missouri State went on a run of its own to assume a 24-20 advantage. Drake withstood four game points before junior Alisa DeBerg Roth (Hudson, Iowa/Hudson) put the Bulldogs ahead to stay, 26-25, on a kill. Angela Bys then completed the rally with a kill to collect a 27-25 triumph.
Drake again pushed out to an 8-3 lead in the third game but couldn't handle the pressure of the Bears as Missouri State garnered a 25-21 decision.
Leading 9-8 in the deciding frame, the Bears parlayed a 9-1 run to secure the match with a 25-16 win.
Drake finished the evening attacking the ball at a .177 clip, while Missouri State wrapped up the victory recording a .270 attack mark.
Senior Chelsea Lauersdorf (Watertown, Wis./Watertown) collected her team-leading seventh double-double of the year with a 27-assist, 12-dig performance.
Bys lead the Bulldogs with 15 kills, while Emily Madden and sophomore Michelle Reidy (Dubuque, Iowa/Wahlert Catholic) each netted nine kills. Madden just missed a double-double as she added 14 digs to her nine kills.
Alana Wittenburg directed Drake with 28 digs.
Missouri State bettered Drake in kills (67-51), service aces (5-2), assists (62-47) and digs (93-78), while the Bulldogs netted a 6.0-5.0 advantage in blocks. The Bulldogs established a season high in attempts (181), while recording a season-best 78 digs in a four-set match.
BULLDOGS BITES
• With its victory over Illinois State, Drake has won its most matches (18) in a season since going 24-4 in 1996.
• Junior Angela Bys has posted double-figure kills in 57 of 89 career matches.
• Redshirt freshman Emily Heffernen (Manchester, Iowa/West Delaware) has recorded at least one block in 26 of Drake's 27 matches this season, including the previous 26 contests.
• Sophomore Michelle Reidy owns blocks in 25 of 27 matches this fall, including seven affairs with seven or more in which the Bulldogs have gone 6-1. In her career, she has collected at least one block in 52 of 56 matches.
• Five Drake players have collected 10 or more service aces this season, led by 26 from senior Chelsea Lauersdorf. She is joined by sophomore Erika Price (Littleton, Colo./Dakota Ridge), Emily Madden, Michelle Reidy and Alana Wittenburg with 15, 14, 13 and 11 aces, respectively.
• In its 18 matches won, Drake has two starters attacking the ball at a .300 clip or better in Reidy (.332) and Heffernen (.328). As a team, the Bulldogs have registered a .238 hitting percentage in those contests, while limiting the opposition to a .114 attack mark on the strength of 13.09 kills, 16.25 digs, 12.08 assists and 2.63 blocks.
• The Bulldogs have registered 11 double-doubles this season, led by seven 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), two by Emily Madden (Eastern Illinois - Aug. 29; Indiana State - Oct. 23) and one each courtesy of Caitlin Johnson (Sycamore, Ill./Sycamore Community) (Northern Colorado - Sept. 11) and Angela Bys (Indiana State - Oct. 24).
• Drake is 9-0 when recording 10 or more blocks in a match.
• The Bulldogs won 11 matches in three games and four tilts in five. Only five matches this season has gone four games, a pair of 3-1 losses to Iowa State and Missouri State and a trio of 3-1 victories over Creighton, at Southern Illinois and versus Indiana State.
• Drake has matched or bettered its opponents in victories won by game in every frame this season. The Bulldogs are 58-38 in games captured.
• The Bulldogs are 7-1 when recording five or more service aces.
• Drake has hit .230 or better in 12 matches this season, compiling an 11-1 record.
• The Bulldogs have held opponents under a .150 attack percentage 14 times this season, compiling a perfect 14-0 mark.
• Drake is 12-1 when collecting more digs than its opponent.
• Eastern Illinois is the only team that has recorded double-digit blocks against Drake this season. The Bulldogs defeated the Panthers, 3-2, at the IPFW Tournament.
DRAKE STEADY IN NCAA RPI
Drake checks in at No. 97 in the latest NCAA RPI rankings released on Monday (Nov. 2). The Bulldogs are the fifth-highest ranked MVC school behind Northern Iowa (24), Wichita State (26), Missouri State (45) and Southern Illinois (95).
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.
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 (609-559). In game two, three and four Drake holds a 585-583, 625-570 and 231-211 advantage, respectively. The Bulldogs own a four-point advantage in game five this season, 72-60.
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 24 of Drake's 27 matches this season. She recorded a career-high 35 digs against South Dakota on Sept. 4 at the Hampton Inn Drake Invitational. In her 89 career matches, Wittenburg has recorded 75 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 2,897 career assists.
YOU CAN ALWAYS GO HOME
Drake's nine home wins are the most since the 1999 season. With one more home win this season, the Bulldogs can match the 1995 team that recorded 10 victories in the Knapp Center.
PLAYING WITH THE BEST OF THEM
The Bulldogs rank 46th (out of 329 Division I programs) in the NCAA in digs per game (16.30), 66th in blocks per frame (2.30) and 82nd in winning percentage (.667).
SHE DOESN'T PLAY LIKE A ROOKIE
Redshirt freshman Emily Heffernen is playing like a seasoned veteran this season, ranking second in total blocks (86), block assists (78), blocks per game (0.91) and solo blocks (8). 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 were 9-18 entering their 28th contest a year ago. Drake averaged 11.62 kills, 15.37 digs, 10.81 assists, 1.11 service aces and 1.96 blocks per frame. Angela Bys paced the squad in kills (3.42), while Wittenburg was distributing 4.89 digs per stanza.
IN OUR LAST FIVE MATCHES
The Bulldogs have averaged 12.58 kills, 15.89 digs, 11.37 assists, 1.21 service aces and 1.95 blocks per game in their last five matches en route to a 3-2 mark. Leading the way at 3.05 kills per frame is Angela Bys. Alana Wittenburg paces the way in digs at 4.84 per set, while Chelsea Lauersdorf averages 7.16 assists and Michelle Reidy is averaging 1.06 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 27 matches, the Bulldogs have garnered 221.0 blocks to just 138.0 for their opponents. Drake trails in solo blocks, 41-39, but has dominated the opposition in block assists, 364-194. Eight Drake players have posted double-figure blocks this year. That list includes Michelle Reidy (93), Emily Heffernen (86), Alisa DeBerg Roth (70), Angela Bys (41), Emily Madden (41), Nicole Brown (Appleton, Wis./Xavier) (21), Mikayla Sims (21) and Chelsea Lauersdorf (20).
WINS VERSUS LOSSES
In their 18 victories this season, the Bulldogs are averaging 13.09 kills, 16.25 digs and 12.08 assists per game, while limiting their opponents to 11.43 kills, 15.51 digs and 10.74 assists. In its nine setbacks, Drake has registered 11.61 kills, 16.42 digs and 10.844 assists per frame, while seeing the opposition record 14.90 kills, 19.19 digs and 14.00 assists.
IN OUR LAST MEETINGS
Drake 3, Creighton 1 (Oct. 10, 2009)
DES MOINES, IOWA - Drake won its 13th game of the season with a 3-1 (25-18, 15-25, 26-24, 25-21) victory over MVC rival Creighton.
Drake jumped out to a 13-4 lead in the first game, fueled by kills from five different players. The Bulldogs finished the final five points on two Creighton attack errors, two kills from Michelle Reidy and one kill from redshirt sophomore Mikayla Sims (Waterloo, Iowa/East).
With game two tied at 6-6, Creighton went on an 11-3 run for a 17-9 advantage. The Bluejays held the lead for the 25-15 victory.
Drake had a 12-7 lead in the third game before Creighton went on a 10-5 run to tie things up at 17-17. A 4-1 run behind two kills from Angela Bys and Reidy put the Bulldogs up 24-22. The game was again tied at 24 before two Creighton attack errors to end the game gave Drake the third set.
The Bulldogs scored the final five points in game four off of an Emily Madden kill, blocks by Sims-Reidy and Reidy-Bys and a Bluejay attack error.
Bys led Drake with 16 kills. Reidy added nine kills, followed by Alisa DeBerg Roth and Madden with six kills apiece.
Chelsea Lauersdorf paced the Bulldogs with 30 assists, while Caitlin Johnson added nine. Alana Wittenburg had another double-digit dig performance with a team-leading 27, followed by Madden with 12.
South Dakota 3, Drake 2 (Sept. 4, 2009)
DES MOINES, IOWA - Drake opened the Hampton Inn Drake Invitational with a five-game loss to South Dakota, 23-25, 25-16, 21-25, 25-15, 11-15.
On paper. Drake dominated the Coyotes in the match with better numbers in kills (65-59), attack percentage (.236-.180), assists (61-56), digs (75-64) and blocks (8-6).
Alana Wittenburg collected a career-high 35 digs and Chelsea Lauersdorf had a team-high 48 assists.
Four players registered double-digit kills led by Michelle Reidy with 16. Reidy was followed by Angela Bys with 14 kills, Alisa DeBerg Roth with 12 and Emily Heffernen with 11. Senior Lindsay Schryver (Williams Bay, Wis./Williams Bay) led the team with three service aces.
UP NEXT
Drake closes out the home portion of its schedule hosting Evansville (Nov. 13) and Southern Illinois (Nov. 14). Both matches start at 7:00 p.m.
