DePaul University Athletics
DePaul University
Drake
Volleyball Drops Season Opener to Drake Friday Afternoon
8/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Box Score: Drake 3, DePaul 1 
MACOMB, ILL. - The DePaul volleyball team opened the 2015 season with a loss to Drake in the Western Illinois Hampton Invitational Friday afternoon, 3-1 (25-12, 25-17, 18-25, 25-22). A strong debut by Brittany Maxwell saw the freshman tally a team-high 12 kills.
Senior Saige Gallop posted 11 kills on 44 attack attempts. Junior Colleen Smith started the 2015 campaign with a match-high 40 assists for the Blue Demons. Smith added four kills and 13 digs to her day.
Defensively, Junior Lexi Chanos notched a match-high 17 digs, while junior Randi Leath led the way in blocks with one solo and two assisted.
For Drake, Kyla Inderski registered a match-high 18 kills on 46 attack attempts and tallied 13 digs, tied for the team lead.
The Bulldogs jumped to an early 2-0 lead to start off the match. In the first set, Drake jumped to an early lead over the Blue Demons and never trailed to win set one, 25-12.
DePaul fought back from an early deficit in the second set and took the lead midway through, 14-12. The two teams traded points and tied the score at 17-17, but Drake pulled away late with an 8-0 run to win the set, 25-17.
DePaul answered the two-set deficit with a run of its own in the third set. A momentum swing that included a 5-0 run gave DePaul the lead, 11-7. The Blue Demons built their set lead to eight after an attack error by Drake's Taylor Zant made the score at 23-15. A bad set by the Bulldogs on set point brought DePaul within one in the match.
The fourth set proved to be the closest between the two teams with ten ties in the frame. The two teams battled back-and-forth before Drake jumped out to a 16-12 lead. DePaul gained momentum late in the frame and tied the match at 21-all. One final push by Drake was enough to claim the fourth set, 25-22, and the match, 3-1.
DePaul held advantages in assists (47-43) and digs (72-65) for the match. Both teams finished Friday's contest with 49 kills each. Drake ended the day with 12 service aces and 19 assisted blocks.
DePaul returns to action on Saturday, Aug. 29 when it takes on SIU-Edwardsville at 1 p.m. CT and host Western Illinois at 7 p.m. CT.
