The Braves returned home last weekend to host the Bradley Classic at the Renaissance Coliseum. The team secured seven out of 14 sets against South Dakota and Eastern Illinois.
Bradley started the competition versus Eastern Illinois on Sept. 13, securing the first two sets 25-22 and 25-17; however, the Panthers persevered and, on the brink of defeat, won the third and fourth sets 25-15 and 25-22.
After dropping back-to-back sets, Bradley was reeling going into the final set but dug deep and adjusted their game plan. The Braves increased their aggressiveness, and their efforts were enough to win the set 15-12.
“I believed we were going to win that third set,” senior outside hitter Silan Demirkol said. “We had just understood the team we were going to play and everything was working well the first two sets, but they changed their game plan and [we] adjusted ours.”
Demirkol executed 41 kills during the tournament and currently leads the Braves in kills with 89. Due to her stellar play, Demirkol was named to the all-tournament team.
Bradley’s next matchup was against an undefeated South Dakota team, who swept the first two sets 25-15 and 25-14. Although the Braves started slow, they quickly adjusted and secured the third set 25-23. The Jackrabbits responded well and took the fourth set 25-21.
“We needed to serve and pass better, as it would’ve been a much better game,” head coach Alicia Williams said. “We did some good things of making those adjustments and executing the adjustments that we made [to secure the third set], but like every good team, they’re going to adjust to those adjustments and that’s what happened in the fourth set.”
The Braves concluded their classic with another edge-of-your-seat game against the Panthers. The match was a tug-of-war between the two as Bradley dominated the first set 25-17, but the Panthers responded by taking the second set 25-20.
The Braves won the third set 25-18, and the Panthers returned the favor, winning the fourth 25-17. By the fifth set, both teams had become familiar with each other’s style of play, leading to a competitive ending to the match. Ultimately, Bradley pulled away at the end and took the victory 15-12.
The Braves will compete at the Kangaroo Klassic in Kansas City against Montana, Lindenwood and the University of Missouri Kansas City this weekend.
