Senior Kora Kauling’s time at Bradley may be coming to an end, but she has business to take care of before she graduates: helping the women’s volleyball team earn some hardware.
Kauling’s fourth season of collegiate volleyball has been a fantastic one. In her second year on the Hilltop, she has elevated her play to another level and helped the Braves get hot at the right time as the postseason looms.
“It all means a lot to me since this is going to be my last season, but I’ve had so much fun with this team and playing with this particular group of girls,” Kauling said. “I’ll be sad overall, but I’m excited to go into the playoffs and the end of the season.”
Head coach Carol Price-Torok cites Kauling’s experience and consistency as reasons for the team’s upward trend and looks to keep having her play free and hard.
“Kora’s a direct correlation to winning and losing,” Price-Torok said. “When she’s doing things on both sides of the ball, we have a lot more success, so she’s an integral part of our game plan.”
Prior to Bradley, Kauling played two seasons at Wichita State. In 47 matches for the Shockers, she registered 0.21 kills per set, 5.79 assists per set and 1.25 digs per set.
Upon arriving at Bradley, a stellar 2020-21 season earned her a first-team All-MVC selection. Her senior season has been even better, helping the Braves become a legitimate contender in the MVC. So far, the setter ranks in the top 5 on the team in kills, blocks, digs, assists and aces. On two occasions, Kauling has stuffed the stat sheet with a triple double.
“I gained a lot of experience from [Wichita State]; they taught me a lot there, but ultimately I wanted a different situation and a different fit,” Kauling said. “I moved on to Bradley because I liked the coaching staff and what the program represented. I felt like we could be successful with this team.”
Indeed, the team has found success as six consecutive wins have put the Braves in an optimal position, sporting an 11-4 conference record (15-11 overall). Entering Friday’s match against Loyola, Bradley stands at second place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings and could draw a first round bye in the upcoming MVC tournament should they hold the spot.
A win against the Ramblers would mean that the Braves sit only half a game behind Loyola for the regular season MVC title.
“It’s a really big goal for us to win the conference and continue to play on after the tournament,” Kauling said. “If we want to do that, it would be important for us to play well in the last couple weeks here, but it would be amazing and really fun if we are able to be successful.”
The aforementioned match at Loyola today kicks off a challenging three-game road trip for the Braves to wrap up the regular season. Tomorrow, Bradley travels to Valparaiso before facing Illinois State in one week in Normal. Loyola, Valparaiso and Illinois State are all currently in the conference’s top four teams, setting the table for a dramatic stretch run.
Price-Torok explained that the Loyola contest will be “sort of a homecoming for Kora,” as Kauling is a native of nearby Naperville.
“I think it’ll be a good match for her and I think we’re playing really great volleyball right now, so we’re just trying to capitalize on that,” she said. “Kora herself is going on streaks and doing a really great job from the service line which will help us a lot.”
