A new coach hopes to breathe new life into the Drake volleyball program. Phil McDaniel is leading a program that has not had a winning season since 1994. He says pre-season practices have been spirited.

McDaniel says they want to be competitive and go all out to make the team successfully. McDaniel says a key this season will be limiting mistakes by keeping the ball in play and letting the defense keep them in games. He says defensively they’ve been solid, and offensively they need to cut down the mental errors.

McDaniel had been an assistant coach at South Dakota State and says he feels the program has potential. He says he’s seen them play from the other side of the court and says the level of athleticism has gone up in the years. The Bulldogs open the season August 29th at the Sam Houston State invitational.