DePaul University
18-15,9-9Big East
Drake
24-10,14-4MVC
DePaul Falls to Drake in Second Round of NIVC
11/30/2023 8:54:00 PM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Pressly and Klemp record double-figure killsPressly and Klemp record double-figure kills
DES MOINES, Iowa - DePaul volleyball fell to Drake in the second round of the National Invitational Volleyball Championship, 3-0 (19-25, 20-25, 15-25), Thursday evening.Â
DePaul (18-15) was paced by Jill Pressly with 15 kills and 12 digs. Pressly recorded her 18th double-double of the season and 40th of her career. Audrey Klemp added 12 kills and four digs.
Senior libero Rachel Krasowski led the team in digs, tallying 16. Julia Nagy added 10 digs while freshman Nora Mannion chipped in five.Ashley Cudiamat totaled 22 assists throughout the match, and added one kill.
"Drake was the better team tonight no question," said head coach Marie Zidek. "They spread their offense out, they dug a ton of balls, and they just wouldn't let us keep leads. This postseason experience has been program defining, and for the returnees, we will get back to work in January from a new starting place. We have tremendous gratitude for our seniors accomplishing their goal of making this a post season team and we can't wait to carry the banner forward."
Taylor Oberpriller led Drake (24-10) with 15 kills.Â
The Blue Demons conclude their 2023 season with a total of 18 wins, its second-most in the last 22 years. DePaul's BIG EAST Tournament win marked the program's first win in the Conference Tournament, paving the way for a NIVC bid that saw the Blue Demon's first program postseason victory.Â
HOW IT HAPPENED:
SET ONE: Six-straight points by the Blue Demons, highlighted by two kills and an ace from Pressly, put DePaul ahead early, 9-5. Three quick points from the Bulldogs tied the match, 11-11, and Drake continued to push their lead. Pressly's seventh kill of the night tied the match back up at 16-all, but the Bulldogs took the lead back and secured the set win with an ace.
SET TWO: After trading points back-and-forth, the Blue Demons used a 6-1 to take a 15-11 lead.The Bulldogs came back to tie the match, 16-16, before a Pressly kill gave DePaul a slight edge. Drake fired off three quick points for a 21-18 lead, before securing the set win with a kill.Â
SET THREE: Klemp fired off a quick kill to open a 5-4 lead for DePaul. The Bulldogs went on a 3-0 run, taking a 9-6 lead. Another run for the Bulldogs extended their lead. DePaul tried to cut into the deficit on a solo block from Katelyn Oxley and a few kills from Pressly and Klemp.Drake held off DePaul, securing the win with a kill.
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