DePaul University Athletics
Saturday, August 29
Des Moines, Iowa
12 p.m.
DePaul University
2-0,0-0Big East
3
at
0
Drake
0-2,0-0MVC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DePaul | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Drake | 20 | 22 | 21 | 0 |
DePaul Sweeps Drake to Stay Perfect on Road Trip
8/29/2026 2:17:00 PM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Timme leads Blue Demons with 14 kills, Polezzi tallies 38 assists in straight-set win
DES MOINES, Iowa – DePaul volleyball kept its perfect start to the 2026 season rolling with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-21) sweep of Drake on Saturday afternoon at the Drake Invitational. The Blue Demons improved to 2-0 on the young season with their second-straight sweep, following Friday's win over Milwaukee.
Kendall Timme led the way with 14 kills, while Leonor Polezzi turned in her second-straight 30-plus assist performance with 38 helpers. Isabela Tavares-Salomon posted her second-straight match with 11 or more kills, while three Blue Demons hit .300 or better on at least three swings: Jade Epps (8 kills, .368), Catalina Alvizuri (5 kills, .500) and Polezzi (3 kills, 1.000). Timme and Nora Mannion each contributed two service aces.
"This win came from working hard to score against a team that served tough and attacked high hands extremely well," said head coach Marie Zidek. "We received well and had to defend with everything we had. The team showed real composure and courage today, and key parts of our game stepped up at the right moments to create chances and finish strong late."
How it Happened
SET ONE
DePaul and Drake traded points early, tying six times before the Blue Demons broke away with three straight kills (Timme, Diana, Alvizuri) to go up 9-6. DePaul's lead held steady until a 4-0 run pushed it to 18-11. Drake answered with four-straight to pull within three, forcing a DePaul timeout, but the Blue Demons steadied and worked the lead to 24-18 for set point. Drake erased two more set points before an Epps kill off a Polezzi assist closed it out, 25-20.
SET TWO
Kills from Epps and Diana fueled a DePaul run that pushed the lead to 15-11 after three early ties (1-1, 6-6, 7-7). Drake kept chipping away, but the Blue Demons answered every push, and back-to-back aces from Timme stretched the margin to six, 23-17. The Bulldogs refused to go quietly, trimming the deficit to two at 23-21 on a Faria ace, but Diana's fourth kill of the set, off a Polezzi assist, sealed it 25-22.
SET THREE
The teams battled to a 12-12 tie before Mannion's ace kicked off a push that carried DePaul to a 17-13 edge, built on kills from Epps and Timme. Drake clawed back within one at 17-16 on a Dalton ace, but DePaul answered again, and Timme's kill off a Polezzi assist made it 21-18. Service errors mounted for both sides down the stretch, and Drake trimmed the gap to one twice more, at 22-21 and 23-21, but a block assist from Diana and Epps forced set point at 24-21, and a Behrns attack error sealed the set and the match, 25-21.
UP NEXT
Sun., Aug. 30 | vs. South Dakota | 11 a.m. CT | Live Stats
FOLLOW THE BLUE DEMONS
Stay up to date with all things DePaul Volleyball at DePaulBlueDemons.com. For real-time updates, follow the Blue Demons on X, Instagram, and Facebook, or sign up for email updates and text alerts.
TICKET INFORMATION
Season ticket memberships are now live for the 2026 DePaul Volleyball season! Season ticket memberships include access to all 15 anticipated regular season matches at McGrath-Phillips Arena in Lincoln Park, plus an opportunity to purchase tickets for the Wintrust Arena match against Nebraska. Season tickets are available beginning at $79 for general admission and $129 for courtside seating! Want to bring your team to the match? Group ticket deposits are also available for parties of 10 or more. Visit DePaulBlueDemons.com/Tickets to reserve your seats today!
Tickets for DePaul's Sept. 4 matchup against Nebraska at Wintrust Arena are also on sale now. Courtside seating, premium options and group packages are available. Fans can purchase tickets through the DePaul Ticket Office or visit DePaulBlueDemons.com/Tickets for more information.
Kendall Timme led the way with 14 kills, while Leonor Polezzi turned in her second-straight 30-plus assist performance with 38 helpers. Isabela Tavares-Salomon posted her second-straight match with 11 or more kills, while three Blue Demons hit .300 or better on at least three swings: Jade Epps (8 kills, .368), Catalina Alvizuri (5 kills, .500) and Polezzi (3 kills, 1.000). Timme and Nora Mannion each contributed two service aces.
"This win came from working hard to score against a team that served tough and attacked high hands extremely well," said head coach Marie Zidek. "We received well and had to defend with everything we had. The team showed real composure and courage today, and key parts of our game stepped up at the right moments to create chances and finish strong late."
How it Happened
SET ONE
DePaul and Drake traded points early, tying six times before the Blue Demons broke away with three straight kills (Timme, Diana, Alvizuri) to go up 9-6. DePaul's lead held steady until a 4-0 run pushed it to 18-11. Drake answered with four-straight to pull within three, forcing a DePaul timeout, but the Blue Demons steadied and worked the lead to 24-18 for set point. Drake erased two more set points before an Epps kill off a Polezzi assist closed it out, 25-20.
SET TWO
Kills from Epps and Diana fueled a DePaul run that pushed the lead to 15-11 after three early ties (1-1, 6-6, 7-7). Drake kept chipping away, but the Blue Demons answered every push, and back-to-back aces from Timme stretched the margin to six, 23-17. The Bulldogs refused to go quietly, trimming the deficit to two at 23-21 on a Faria ace, but Diana's fourth kill of the set, off a Polezzi assist, sealed it 25-22.
SET THREE
The teams battled to a 12-12 tie before Mannion's ace kicked off a push that carried DePaul to a 17-13 edge, built on kills from Epps and Timme. Drake clawed back within one at 17-16 on a Dalton ace, but DePaul answered again, and Timme's kill off a Polezzi assist made it 21-18. Service errors mounted for both sides down the stretch, and Drake trimmed the gap to one twice more, at 22-21 and 23-21, but a block assist from Diana and Epps forced set point at 24-21, and a Behrns attack error sealed the set and the match, 25-21.
UP NEXT
Sun., Aug. 30 | vs. South Dakota | 11 a.m. CT | Live Stats
FOLLOW THE BLUE DEMONS
Stay up to date with all things DePaul Volleyball at DePaulBlueDemons.com. For real-time updates, follow the Blue Demons on X, Instagram, and Facebook, or sign up for email updates and text alerts.
TICKET INFORMATION
Season ticket memberships are now live for the 2026 DePaul Volleyball season! Season ticket memberships include access to all 15 anticipated regular season matches at McGrath-Phillips Arena in Lincoln Park, plus an opportunity to purchase tickets for the Wintrust Arena match against Nebraska. Season tickets are available beginning at $79 for general admission and $129 for courtside seating! Want to bring your team to the match? Group ticket deposits are also available for parties of 10 or more. Visit DePaulBlueDemons.com/Tickets to reserve your seats today!
Tickets for DePaul's Sept. 4 matchup against Nebraska at Wintrust Arena are also on sale now. Courtside seating, premium options and group packages are available. Fans can purchase tickets through the DePaul Ticket Office or visit DePaulBlueDemons.com/Tickets for more information.
Players Mentioned
MB
/ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
L/DS
/ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
S
/ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
OH
/ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALLTeam Stats
DePaul
DRA
Kills
50
37
Errors
15
14
Attempts
119
112
Hitting %
.294
.205
Points
62.0
43.0
Assists
47
35
Aces
6
2
Blocks
6
4
Game Leaders
Kills
14
Aces
2
Blocks
1
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Saturday, August 29
Friday, October 24
Sunday, September 21
Wednesday, September 17