Bruins Head to Iowa for Weekend MVC Road Trip

Belmont at Northern Iowa 
Friday Oct. 30 | 6 p.m. CT 
Curb Event Center | Nashville, Tenn.  

Belmont at Drake   
Saturday Nov. 1 | 5 p.m. CT 
Credit Union 1 Arena | Chicago, Ill. 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Belmont University Volleyball (14–7, 5–5 MVC) continues Missouri Valley Conference play on the road this weekend, traveling to Iowa for a pair of matchups. The Bruins open the trip Friday, Oct. 30, against Northern Iowa inside the McLeod Center at 6 p.m. CT, before heading to Des Moines on Saturday, Nov. 1, to take on Drake in the Knapp Center at 5 p.m. CT. 

Both matches will be livestreamed on ESPN+. 

What's Bruin 

• Belmont enters the weekend 14–7 overall and 5-5 in Missouri Valley Conference play, coming off hard-fought five-set battles vs Bradley. 
• The Bruins have earned league victories over Murray State, Evansville, Southern Illinois, and Indiana State.  
• In Belmont's win over Murray State, Lilly Lutz recorded her 1,000th career dig, while Brooke Gilleland reached 1,000 career kills.  
• Gilleland was named Invitational MVP at the Belmont Invitational, while Lutz and Emily Warmenhoven earned All-Tournament Team honors.  
• Brenna Kauffeld earned MVP honors at the Clocktower Invitational, with Gilleland and Lutz again named to the All-Tournament Team.  
• Gilleland leads the offense with 268 kills, including a career-high 27 against Siena, and was recognized as Belmont's September Student-Athlete of the Month.  
• Lutz anchors the defense with 348 digs, highlighted by a career-best 34 against Valparaiso.  
• Setting duties are split between Jordan Czajkowski (448 assists) and Alivia Keegan (387 assists).  
• Bella Mathis leads the defense at the net with 61 blocks. 
• From the service line, Belmont has totaled 166 aces compared to opponents' 93, led by Gilleland with 42.  
• As a team, Belmont is hitting .262 while holding opponents to a .196 average.  
• The Bruins are led by first-year head coach Fritz Rosenberg and are in their fourth season in the Missouri Valley Conference after finishing 11–19 overall and 6–12 in league play last year. 
• Program history includes four NCAA Tournament appearances (2006, 2008, 2012, 2015) and signature wins over Mississippi State, Marquette, Virginia Tech, UCF, West Virginia, Boston College, Syracuse, DePaul, and UConn. 

About The Panthers 

• Northern Iowa enters the weekend 17–5 overall and 10–0 in MVC play. 
• Redshirt freshman Maryn Bixby has been named MVC Freshman of the Week three consecutive times, leading the team with 78 blocks. 
• Setters Reese Booth and Sydney Golden each surpassed 1,000 career assists on Oct. 25 against Indiana State. 
• Jadyn Petersen has twice been named MVC Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 22, Oct. 13) and leads the team with 320 digs and 21 service aces. 
• Cassidy Hartman has earned two MVC Player of the Week honors (Sept. 15, Oct. 6) and leads UNI with 288 kills. 
• The Panthers are led by head coach Bobbi Petersen, now in her 26th season. 
• UNI finished 26–8 overall and 18–0 in MVC play last season, capturing the 2024 conference championship. 

About The Bulldogs 

• Drake enters the weekend 11–10 overall and 7–3 in MVC play, currently riding a seven-match winning streak. 
• Senior Macy Daufeldt leads the team with 290 kills and 260 digs. 
• Sophomore Bliss Beck anchors the front line with 84 blocks. 
• Graduate Student Kacia Brown was named MVC Player of the Week on Sept. 8. 
• The Bulldogs are led by head coach Darrin McBroom, now in his 13th season at the helm. Drake finished 20–10 overall and 16–2 in MVC play last season, placing second in the conference. 

Follow Along 

Stream both matches Live at ESPN+ 
Live stats are available at BelmontBruins.com 

Follow Belmont volleyball on social media — @BelmontVB on Twitter and @belmontvball on Instagram — for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all Belmont athletic programs via the official Belmont Bruins app, available in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.