Who | Western Illinois (0-0) at Drake University (0-0)
When | Saturday, Jan. 23 at 2 p.m.
Where | Des Moines, Iowa (Knapp Center)
TV | ESPN +
Twitter | @WIUVolleyball

Opening Serve

Western Illinois volleyball is finally back in action and set to kick off the 2020-21 campaign with a road contest at Drake University on Saturday (Jan. 23). The match will start at 2 p.m., being available for viewing on ESPN +.

Quick Hitters

• Western Illinois finished 6-23 overall a season ago, going 3-13 against Summit League competition

• Head coach Ben Staupe is in his third year at the helm of the program while assistant Elisa Joris enters her second

• For league play, Western will compete in a 16-match format this year. Contests will take place in 'two-match series' on back-to-back days against eight scheduled opponents.
   

Preseason Picks

The Summit League recently picked WIU to finish ninth this season. Junior Mariah Mitchell and sophomore Gabby DePersio earned nods on the league's preseason 'Players to Watch' list. Mitchell led the team in both points scored and kills, with 313.5 and 269, respectively, during the 2019 season. The right-side hitter also contributed 81 blocks, good for second-best on the team. This was Mitchell's second straight 'Player to Watch' honor. DePersio started as libero during her first year last season. She led Western in digs (361) and collected 87 assists, while starting in all 29 matches.
 

Who's Back?

Along with Mitchell and DePersio, six additional Leathernecks return to the 2020-21 roster. Cassie Hunt, Abby Knoop, and Emma Norris will lead the group as seniors. Hunt totaled 417 assists (second-best on the team) during the 2019 season, along with 150 digs and 33 service aces. Erika Moore comes back as one of three juniors on the squad - having appeared in 26 matches as a sophomore libero.

Sophomores Jessie Connell and Aubrey Putman contributed solidly as first-year players a season ago. Connell, a setter, led WIU in assists (519) while also chipping in a team-best 36 service aces and 178 digs. She started 21 out of 29 matches. Putman finished with a total of 155 kills and 208 digs.
 

New to the Crew

Junior Peyton Bowman will suit up for WIU after transferring from Carl Sandburg College last spring. Seven first-years, hailing from regions across the Midwest, make up the class of 2024 - Isabella Biesterfeld (Crete, Ill.), Kalynn Davis (O'Fallon, Mo.), Kennedy Davis (O'Fallon, Mo.), Helaina Hillyard (Mediapolis, Iowa), Kaitlyn Morgan (LeClaire, Iowa), Ashley Poland (Hanover Park, Ill.), and Erin Rosdahl (Northbrook, Ill.).
 

A Familiar Foe

WIU and Drake are no strangers to each other when it comes to court battles. The history between the two teams dates back to Oct. 16, 1976. Drake currently leads the all-time series, 23-18-1. Last season, on Sept. 10, 2019, Drake won the matchup on their home floor, 3-1.
 

Scouting the Opposition

Drake hosts Northern Iowa on Friday evening in its season opener… the Bulldogs went 9-22 (3-15) in 2019… nine upperclassmen and nine underclassmen indicates a balance of experience and youth within the roster… senior Emily Plock returns as one of the most lethal pieces after setting the school record for kills in a season with 472 during 2019… Plock also ranked second on the team in blocks assisted (94) and third in digs (230)… senior Libero Kylee Macke tallied a team-high 615 digs last season while junior setter Caitlyn Smith notched 329 assists… Gillian Gergen, a senior middle-blocker, held down the front line last year by assisting on 103 blocks.