1,348 fans cheered last Saturday as the Bradley volleyball team dominated Milwaukee to win the CEFCU Classic. The Braves also achieved the best 12-game start in the program’s history, as they now sit at 10-2.
The match against the Panthers brought in the third largest crowd in Bradley volleyball history and concluded an undefeated weekend for the Braves.
The team opened on Friday morning against Eastern Illinois, sweeping the Panthers in three sets. Freshmen Hannah Thompson and Rachel Pranger both tallied 12 kills a piece. Thompson added 16 digs for her fourth double-double of the year.
In Friday’s afternoon match, the Braves faced the University of Nebraska-Omaha in a five-set thriller. Bradley jumped ahead to a 2-0 set lead, but Omaha came back up from 24-23 to take the third set at 26-24.
In a challenging advance, Omaha nabbed the fourth set 25-22 and forced a final fifth set. The Braves rallied in the fifth and won 15-8, led by senior Erica Haslag who recorded six kills in the final set. Haslag led all players with a season-high 27 kills, followed by Pranger with 19 kills.
Head coach Carol Price-Torok said the Mavericks’ middles started to turn up their intensity in the third set, and Bradley’s serves became less assertive. Once the Braves became more aggressive with their serves, it fell in their favor.
“[Omaha] started slower than I expected them to, so I was surprised that we got out to such a good start,” Price-Torok said. “I was really glad that our [players] could come back and finish the set.”
In the final game of the classic, Bradley swept Milwaukee in three sets to stay undefeated at the Renaissance Coliseum (6-0) while harnessing the energy of the record crowd. Haslag led with 13 kills to add to her weekend total of 46. Pranger would finish with 39 kills on the weekend, more than all her prior matches combined.
Price-Torok said Pranger and sophomore Sara Maddox had been working harder in practice recently, and that the two showcased their hard work throughout the weekend. Pranger said she believed her performance was because of development in practice.
“[I would attribute my success to] definitely our defense and passers and setters, and all my coaches have been working with me in practice and putting in extra reps,” Pranger said. “I think they help me a lot with that.”
The Braves will now face only MVC competition, a challenge both players and Price-Torok are looking forward to.
“Conference is where it’s at,” Price-Torok said. “[The players are] excited to go into conference and continue that streak of just playing really hard and efficient … We have a team that can rival anyone in our conference, so we’re excited to get out there and get after it.”
This weekend, the team travels to Carbondale to take on Southern Illinois and then to Springfield, Missouri to face last season’s MVC Champion, Missouri State.
“Southern does a really great job of a fast-paced offense, and they have some live arms,” Price-Torok said. “It’s a really great atmosphere there and tough to play in their gym. Missouri State is traditionally always strong … they really have a great confidence in themselves.”
The Braves play the Salukis tonight at 7 p.m. and the Bears at 7 p.m. tomorrow.
