Blue Demons Down Coyotes, Sweep Drake Invitational

Sunday, August 30

Des Moines, Iowa

11 a.m.

DePaul University

3-0,0-0Big East

South Dakota

2-1,0-0Summit League

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
South Dakota	21	25	22	22	1
DePaul	25	20	25	25	3

Blue Demons Down Coyotes, Sweep Drake Invitational

8/30/2026 1:55:00 PM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

DePaul closes weekend 3-0, wins 9 of 10 sets in Des Moines

DES MOINES, Iowa – DePaul volleyball closed a near-perfect weekend at the Drake Invitational, edging South Dakota 3-1 (25-21, 20-25, 25-22, 25-22) Sunday afternoon. The Blue Demons finished 3-0 and won 9 of 10 sets at the tournament to open the season.

"What a tremendous team victory over South Dakota today, a team that has been winning their league for the past decade," said head coach Marie Zidek. "In our team preparation meeting last night, we talked about the privileged position we had placed ourselves in to compete for a tournament championship today, with South Dakota and us both entering the tournament at 2-0. Facing a team used to winning over 20 matches per year, we were going to have to play our best until, eventually, our best became better than theirs."

Kendall Timme and Isabela Tavares-Salomon both set new season highs to power the offense. Timme led all players with 18 kills, while her counterpart followed close behind with 15 kills on a .324 hitting percentage. Nora Mannion anchored the defense with 20 digs, while Leonor Polezzi turned in another strong outing with 25 assists.

"We had some big-time playmakers make big-time plays, but a turning point for us was when Amanda Saeger and Yagmur Yavuz came in off the bench in the 6-2 and really turned the momentum back in our direction. Incredible maturity for them to stay locked in even though they hadn't been used in the previous two matches."

How it Happened
SET ONE
Kills from Kendall Timme and Isabela Tavares-Salomon opened the set after five early ties. The Blue Demons pulled ahead late behind a service ace from Timme and a string of attack errors forced by blocks from Jade Epps, Martina Diana, and Catalina Alvizuri. Leonor Polezzi set the offense throughout, and DePaul closed it out 25-21 to open the match.

SET TWO
Points stayed close early before South Dakota broke the set open with a 7-0 run, the largest allowed by DePaul this young season, to take an 18-13 lead. A 4-0 run behind kills from Timme pulled the Blue Demons back within one, but the Coyotes held firm down the stretch, closing out the set 25-20.

SET THREE
Trailing 1-6 early, DePaul answered with kills from Timme, Epps, and Tavares-Salomon to stay within reach. A six-point run, forced by blocks from Epps and Diana and capped by kills from Diana, put the Blue Demons ahead 19-16. Several late pushes from the Coyotes were turned away, and a kill from Alvizuri put DePaul up 24-22 before a final error closed out the set, 25-22.

SET FOUR
The Blue Demons built a 4-0 lead behind kills from Tavares-Salomon and Diana, but the Coyotes answered to tie it at 6-6. DePaul pulled back ahead through the middle stretch, building a 15-11 edge behind Tavares-Salomon and Timme, before South Dakota trimmed the deficit to one late at 18-19. A kill and a Timme service ace regained control, and after one final tie at 22-22, back-to-back attack errors, the second off a DePaul block, closed out the set and the match in the fourth frame, 25-22.

"There are a lot of great team narratives to take from this one, but the main one is this: we went into this weekend taking responsibility for our performance and the preparation needed to create the opportunity for this performance, and we did our job for the BIG EAST," said Zidek. " The team is leaving stronger and with more experience."

UP NEXT
DePaul welcomes Portland State to McGrath-Phillips Arena Wednesday, Sept. 2, with first serve set for 7 p.m.

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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.