THE VOLLEYBALL TEAM huddles on the Knapp Center court. The Bulldogs ended one of their most successful seasons in over a decade with a loss against Creighton this weekend. Photo: Alex Masica

The Bulldogs couldn’t carry over the season’s newfound success into the Missouri Valley Conference tournament this weekend.

“We have talked all season about learning from losses, as well as repeating the things that we do well during our victories,” Head Coach Phil McDaniel said. “I hope that the group will retain these lessons as we approach next season.”

The Creighton Bluejays stopped Drake from continuing its breakthrough season last Thursday as they went on to beat the Bulldogs in three sets (25-14, 26-24, 25-22).

The Drake squad came out tentative in the opening minutes as Creighton took the first set skillfully.

“I think that nerves played a part in our loss Thursday,” McDaniel said. “We seemed to make a few mistakes that we typically don’t make on the court.”

The Bulldogs fought back in the second and third sets, but Creighton clung to the momentum and capitalized on each of the Drake squad’s mistakes to win the final two sets by a narrow margin.

“Creighton was able to keep us out of system quite a bit, especially in the first game,” senior Chelsea Lauersdorf said. “However, I really think we hurt ourselves more than anything by making errors.”

The squad isn’t dwelling on the Creighton loss so much, as they are ready to improve on one of the most successful seasons in over a decade.

This season, the Bulldogs had a record of 22-12—the first time since 1995 that the squad won over 20 games in one season. This was also the first time since 1998 that the team reached the MVC Tournament.

“Coach has a great ability to get his players to believe in and commit to the team,” Lauersdorf said. “The coaching staff is definitely on the right track when it comes to building a name for the volleyball program.”

The team will be losing three of its anchors from this seasonas seniors Lindsay Schryver, Emily Madden and Lauersdorf graduate.

“All three will be tough to replace as they each bring their own particular skill set to the court,” McDaniel said.

McDaniel is hoping that this season’s juniors will be able to fill the void left next season.

“The juniors will be expected to lead the team, beginning next semester in off-season workouts,” McDaniel said.

McDaniel is also looking to his underclassmen and incoming freshman to bring depth to a team that will have to compete in a very strong 2010 MVC.

“We have four young ladies coming in that will add speed and intensity to our group,” he said. “I am looking for these additions to the roster to come in and push the veterans on the team.”

McDaniel said he is aiming to improve his squad’s defensive skill as well as the speed of the offense.

“We will be focusing on getting better in all aspects of our game,” junior lebaro Alana Wittenburg said. “As a team, we need to get better at making the play when it needs to be made.”

McDaniel said he believes that the team’s tenacity and focus Drake has exemplified this year will be the key to success in next season’s conference.

“The Missouri Valley Conference will be strong again next season,” he said. “I expect the conference to be competitive next season—top to bottom.”

Like every year, one of the team’s main goals is to take the MVC title.

“I hope that next year’s group will be hungry to return to the conference tournament now that we have gotten a taste,” McDaniel said. “The younger girls on the team really know what it takes to win.