DES MOINES, Iowa - After 14 months of patiently waiting, Western Illinois volleyball (0-1) finally got a taste of game action. Its first contest of the 2021 season involved a road trip to Drake University (2-0), where the host captured a 3-1 decision.
Mariah Mitchell got WIU's offense flowing in the first set, totaling three of the team's first five points off of kills. With Drake maintaining a lead of at least eight points for much of the set, WIU went on a late flurry. Two consecutive kills from Aubrey Putman and Kennedy Davis sparked a 4-0 run to cut Drake's lead to 24-18. The Bulldogs, however, ultimately ended the set by rejecting an attempted attack.
Opening the second frame, Putman put WIU on the board first with a kill before Drake responded with five unanswered points. Being down 7-2, WIU found momentum to climb back and make it a 10-8 deficit. Efforts on both sides of the ball from Peyton Bowman and Davis stopped a subsequent 3-0 Bulldogs run. The Leathernecks responded with a 3-0 stretch of their own, but Drake again settled into its groove to finish off the set, 25-17.
Trailing in the match, WIU initiated a 5-0 run early in the third period to take a 7-3 lead. An attacking error by the Leathernecks evened things at 7, but Bowman and Mitchell had an answer. The two juniors erupted to pace WIU's scoring attack and take a 17-13 lead. Back and forth action continued in the ensuing possessions. A Mitchell kill finished things, 25-22.
Set four began in Drake's favor, 5-0, and the home team would not look back. WIU found a way to put up points through a few different ways, but the Bulldogs finished the day off in the fourth, 25-12.
"I loved to see the fight and toughness from us in coming back to take set 3," said WIU head coach Ben Staupe. "We just struggled with too many unforced errors against a good team. The better we communicate, the better we'll be. I thought our hustle and pursuit was also a bright spot."
Mitchell posted a team-high 16 kills. Bowman, a fellow junior, impressed in her WIU debut with 11 kills and five total blocks. Cassie Hunt chipped in 22 assists and 10 digs while Davis notched seven kills and five blocks of her own. Gabby DePersio added in a game-high 19 digs. WIU finished with an advantage in both digs and blocks.
Next up is the start of Summit League play for WIU. The Leathernecks will first visit South Dakota State for a two-day series, Jan. 31-Feb. 1. Game time of both matches is set for 1 p.m.
