PC Football's Homecoming Match-up

For the first time in almost a full month, the Presbyterian College football team will compete on their home turf as the Drake Bulldogs visit Bailey Memorial Stadium this Saturday. Kickoff in Clinton is labeled for 1:00 PM, broadcasted live via ESPN+.

The only school of the 11 in the Pioneer Football League to have played three conference games without a loss, Drake will stroll onto Presbyterian’s campus for the first time ever tomorrow.

Head coach Steve Englehart looks to play spoiler against the Bulldogs as Drake stands one win away from tying the second-longest PFL winning streak in conference history.

It’s Homecoming weekend at PC, with the Blue Hose looking to make a statement and defeat a league opponent who is currently gaining votes into the national FCS rankings.

GAMEDAY CENTRAL

WHO: Presbyterian (2-5, 0-3) vs. Drake (4-1, 3-0)

WHERE: Bailey Memorial Stadium (Clinton, S.C.)

WHEN: Saturday, October 19 | 1:00 PM

ADMISSION: Football Tickets

GAMEDAY PROTOCOL: Bailey Memorial Stadium Policies & Map

FLIP CARDS: Sponsored by Founders Federal Credit Union

CLEAR BAG POLICY: Handbag Code

FOLLOW THE ACTION

WATCH: ESPN+ (Gabriel Schray & Tim Webb)

LIVE STATS: StatBroadcast

TWITTER / X: @BlueHoseFB

GAME NOTES: Presbyterian Notes | PFL Weekly Report

OPPONENT PROFILE

• One game away from tying the second-longest Pioneer Football League winning streak in the conference's 33-year history, Drake will visit Clinton for the first time ever with 14 straight league wins in their back pocket.
• Head coach Todd Stepsis engineered a remarkable turnaround in 2022, reconstructing a team that had started that season 0-8 with a season-closing three-game winning streak. They've not lost a PFL game since that moment, running the table last fall and receiving the automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs.
• Drake has been affiliated with the Pioneer Football League since its inception in 1991, winning their seventh conference championships last season.
• The Bulldogs' season has already been crammed with drama, pulling out a 35-32 overtime triumph against scholarship program Eastern Washington for their first win of the campaign.
• Kicker Shane Dunning drilled a 48-yard field goal as time expired that lifted Drake past San Diego in the PFL opener, going on to win the next two conference clashes with Valparaiso and Butler.
• A win on Saturday would tie San Diego's mark of 15 conference wins in a row from 2005-2007 for the second-best league win streak in PFL history. USD is also in possession of the number one longest streak, winning an incredible 39 straight over a period of six seasons (2015-21).
• Drake toppled Butler seven days ago in a 27-17 decision, ending their status as one of five FCS squads that were still unbeaten entering the day.

CLOSE CALLS

• A magnet to tight games like a moth to a flame, Presbyterian has found themselves in the midst of a close contest in almost every PFL outing since 2023. Counting last weekend's one-score defeat at Morehead State, the Blue Hose have competed in 10 games over the last year-and-a-half that were decided by 10 points or less.
• Of those 10 nail-biters, nine have been against Pioneer League opponents. PC has played seven games since September 2023 where the final margin was smaller than one touchdown.
• While their history with Drake is very small (just two meetings), both of them fit the bill of Presby's recent close games. PC's inaugural affair versus the Bulldogs was decided by four points in 2021, which led to an even thinner difference last year (16-14) in Iowa.
• On that frigid November afternoon in Des Moines 11 months ago, PC nearly spoiled Drake's eventual perfect PFL record in the penultimate game of the season. The Blue Hose kept Drake out of the end zone over the final three quarters (allowing only three field goals the rest of the way), whittling the lead down to a deuce with just over two minutes on the clock. The ensuing onside kick attempt fell to the Bulldogs, allowing them to escape a scrappy PC performance.

SECOND “RECEIVING VOTES” CHALLENGER

• Drake will make their first-ever trip to Bailey Memorial Stadium as one of 20 schools at the FCS level to be "receiving votes" in the latest American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) poll.
• The Bulldogs currently have eight votes from the association (10th-most of all teams not in the top 25). This is the second opponent that PC has gone up against this year to be receiving votes in the rankings, the other being Mercer.
• Mercer has risen to #7 in the nation since starting the season against PC, displaying a 6-0 record.

AROUND THE PFL

• The marquee matchup of Week 8 is in Indianapolis when Butler hosts Dayton. The Flyers are 2-0 on the young season after holding off Davidson in Week 7. Butler returns home and seeks to bounce back after seeing its unbeaten run to start the season ended by defending champion Drake in Des Moines last week.
• St. Thomas, the other unbeaten team, travels to Valparaiso seeking to stay at the top of the standings. Davidson looks to rebound from its first conference loss when it hosts Stetson. The week’s long trip belongs to Marist, who heads from New York to San Diego, for a meeting against the Toreros.
• Phil Steele Magazine released its 2024 FCS Mid-Season All-American Team on Friday. Butler junior offensive lineman Adam Doland and Drake junior defensive lineman Finn Claypool were fourth-team honorees at the halfway point.

AND, VOLLEYBALL - BREAST CANCER AWARENESS

CLINTON, S.C. - The Presbyterian College volleyball team is set for another weekend of home matches, beginning with the team's Breast Cancer Awareness Match on Friday, Oct. 18 against the UNC Asheville Bulldogs. On Sunday, Oct. 20 the Blue Hose will welcome the USC Upstate Spartans to Clinton. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to Friday's match to support the fight against Breast Cancer.
 
GAMEDAY INFO – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18 | 6:00 PM    
MATCHUP – Presbyterian (5-13, 1-4) vs UNC Asheville (7-3, 1-1)
LIVE STATS – Statbroadcast
 
GAMEDAY INFO – SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20 | 2:00 PM
MATCHUP – Presbyterian (5-13, 1-4) vs USC Upstate (6-11, 1-3)
WATCH – ESPN+
LIVE STATS – Statbroadcast
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Blue Hose had a tough outing on the road against the Charleston Southern Buccaneers on Tuesday, losing a three-set battle.
 
A LOOK AT THE BLUE HOSE
- The Blue Hose currently hold a 5-13 record, securing their wins in hard-fought five-set matches against Delaware State, Temple, and Southern Miss along with straight-set victories over SC State and Gardner-Webb.
- The team has averaged a .168 hitting percentage while taking 10.4 kills per set. They've also shown strength at the net, amassing 134 total blocks (1.9 blocks per set).
- Courtney Williams leads the team offensively with 167 kills (2.35 kills per set). Julia Yurkovich is not far behind with 155 kills of her own at 2.50 kills per set.
- Junior setter Anna Baranski has been instrumental, totaling 533 assists (7.51 per set) while also leading the team defensively with 216 digs (3.04 per set).
- Defensively, sophomore outside hitter Courtney Williams anchors the Blue Hose at the net with 59 total blocks, 13 of which are solo efforts. Brittney Daphnis is a close second, adding 52 blocks, including six solo blocks.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT – UNC ASHEVILLE
- The Bulldogs have taken a 7-3 overall record so far this year while seeing victories over Morgan State, Western Carolina, Iona, Hampton, Maryland Eastern Shore, UNC Charlotte, and Radford.
- As a team, Asheville has averaged 12.5 kills per set while hitting at a .212 rate.
- Offensively, redshirt sophomore outside hitter Kylie Cackovic leads the team with 126 kills (3.23 kills per set).
- Junior setter Payton Rolfsen leads the Bulldogs in assists with 213 (5.46 assists per set).
- Defensively, senior libero Michelle Thao has amassed 183 digs (4.69 digs per set), placing her at the top of Asheville's leaderboard.
- The Bulldogs lead the all time series between the two teams 21-12. Last season, these teams split their matches with the Blue Hose winning 3-1 in September and losing 3-1 in October.
- Danielle Marante is in her first year at the head of the UNC Asheville volleyball program.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT – USC UPSTATE
- The Spartans have recorded a 6-11 overall record so far this season, securing their victories over Queens, Davidson, West Georgia, Idaho, SC State, and Gardner-Webb.
- Upstate has tallied 12.0 kills per set with a .183 hitting percentage.
- Junior middle blocker Ady O'Grady leads the team in kills with 175 (2.57 kills per set) while graduate student outside hitter Allison Palmi is close behind with 165 kills (2.54).
- Freshman setter Kamyla Vega David is the team's go-to playmaker with 557 assists (8.19 assists per set) on the year.
- Senior libero Julia Gladhill has totaled 326 digs (4.79 digs per set) to lead the Spartans this season.
- USC Upstate leads the all-time series between the two teams 11-10. Last season, PC beat the Spartans twice, both with scores of 3-1.
- Head coach Ali Skayhan is in her second season at the helm of the Spartans.
 
BIG SOUTH LEADERS
As a team, the Blue Hose currently rank third in the Big South Conference with an impressive 15.48 digs per set, having accumulated a total of 1099 digs this season.
 
Individually, Anna Baranski stands out, ranking third in the conference with 7.51 assists per set. She also places sixth with an average of 3.04 digs per set. Courtney Williams is ranked eighth in the league with a .279 hitting percentage while also placing seventh with 0.83 blocks per set.
 
Brittney Daphnis contributes significantly on defense, ranking fourth in the Big South with 0.95 blocks per set. Additionally, Celimar Hoyos holds eighth place in the conference with an average of 2.91 digs per set.
 
BLUE HOSE DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Presbyterian players have already recorded an impressive 18 double-doubles this year. Junior setter Anna Baranski has been at the forefront, achieving double-doubles in 13 of those contests, including a nine-match streak with double-figure assists and digs earlier in the season. Senior outside hitter Hannah Rowe has also made a significant impact, tallying five double-doubles, including a standout performance against Southern Miss where she notched a career-high 19 kills along with 14 digs.