Last weekend, Bradley volleyball competed at the Blue Ridge Volleyball Classic against Charleston, Charlotte and Western Carolina.
The Braves played their competition close during the tournament, but made costly mistakes down the stretch of games and left North Carolina with one win.
Bradley began the tournament against the Cougars. The tension on the court was palpable as each team exchanged sets before the Braves took the victory home in the fifth set, 15-5.
“I thought we had the advantage the entire match,” said head coach Alicia Williams. “We just made some rookie mistake to even put us in five [sets] so I felt like [our] confidence level was high, knowing that we should be able to beat them.”
Junior Tendai Titley and freshman Gracie Furlong were impactful, each finishing with double-digit kills. Despite this accomplishment, Titley acknowledged the opportunity for growth.
“I feel like I played well and held my own,” said Titley. “There’s still lots of room for improvement.”
The Braves had less success against the Charlotte 49ers. Despite having taken the first set 25-19, the 49ers quickly gained control and swept the following three sets, handing Bradley their first loss of the weekend.
“We have a tendency [of] getting in a hole,” said Furlong. “Sometimes you just lose momentum and can’t get it back. So I think that was a struggle for us [in the game].”
With just an hour until their next match against the Western Carolina Catamounts, the Braves did their best to reset and refresh. This worked in their favor, as they would take the first set 25-16 and the second set 25-20. However, the Catamounts would quickly pick up on the Braves’ tactics, halting their momentum to take the third set 23-25. Despite the Braves’ attempts at redemption, the following two sets would go to the Catamounts, serving Bradley their second loss of the weekend.
“We had many, many opportunities to win that match,” Williams said. “Sometimes, when you get in those crunch-time scenarios, we have to see how it affects us before we can grow and mature in that way.”
The Braves will play in the Renaissance Coliseum this weekend at Bradley Family Weekend against Jacksonville State, Central Michigan and UMKC.
“It’s time to prove who Bradley volleyball is,” said Furlong.
