Bradley volleyball is like a yo-yo.
Any positive progress they’ve made this year has lurched back, before moving forward again. The team stood at 3-3 heading into last Friday and Saturday’s matches against Jacksonville State, Central Michigan and Kansas City. One might wonder if this ”yo-yo effect” would hold strong through all three home matches.
It did.
The Braves lost control early in the first set, falling 19-25 in a set that never felt close. Bolstered by senior Anna Kiss and freshman Gracie Furlong, the Braves pulled closer during the following two sets but ended up losing 21-25 and 22-25.
“Our pass and serve really broke down,” said head coach Alicia Williams. “When you can’t execute that first contact, the rest of the game becomes really difficult. We’re a very scrappy team, so I was disappointed to see that we were letting easy balls land.”
Bradley rolled back into form against Central Michigan, winning the first set convincingly, 25-16. The second set was closer, but the Braves used their momentum in the final stretch to take it 25-18. The third set was an intense back-and-forth that almost saw Central Michigan claw its way back, but the Braves refused to lose, winning a tense rally late in the game that allowed them to win the set 25-21.
Senior Vitoria Oliveira notched several key blocks and eight kills throughout the match. “We don’t want them to have momentum,” she said regarding Central Michigan’s 3rd set push. “We try to be disciplined, keep things clean, and stay scrappy the whole time.”
The Braves used their newfound momentum to tear into Kansas City the following day. Winning all three sets comfortably, the team showed how dominant they can be when the wind blows their way.
“Our goal is not to be perfect right now,” Williams said. “Our goal is to play our best volleyball in November.”
The Braves will try to completely buck the yo-yo trend heading into the Alyssa Cavanaugh Classic in Bowling Green, Kentucky, as they will take on Austin Peay, Western Kentucky and Indiana. There is hope that the early growing pains this season will finally lead to consistent success on the court.
“The work that we’re putting in is paying off. It’s a really good feeling,” said Oliveira.
No matter what happens, this team remains scrappy.
