The score is tied 24 to 24.
The Braves are looking to put this game away for good in the fourth set against Southern Illinois. Setter Maria Drapp looks left, ready to make a play, then suddenly sets the ball to her right. It falls perfectly to an unblocked Ella Nigl, who thunders it to the ground as the Braves take the lead, hopefully for good.
They lost the set 28-26.
That sequence of events is a microcosm of Bradley volleyball’s last three games as well as the season in general. There are moments of brilliance and great play, but they can never seem to fully put games away.
Their first game against Southern Illinois was slightly frustrating. The Braves often led and seemed in control for most of the game, yet they let it slip in the final set because of avoidable mistakes. The team had multiple momentum swings, but then gave it back after a missed serve or a failed spike.
They won, but it didn’t feel like it.
The game against Valparaiso exposed many of the team’s weaknesses, as they struggled to defend a slew of cross-court shots the Braves couldn’t dig up. They couldn’t reach 20 points in either of the first two sets.
The third saw a much bigger fight, but it came too late to turn things around. The Braves led most of the set, and even when they lost the lead, they kept it close. Late in the set, they scored to make it 23-22 and forced a Valpo timeout.
Coming out of the timeout, Valparaiso immediately scored two in a row, including a service ace, to win the set and the match. Another moment where Bradley volleyball fell just short.
Their best performance of this stretch of games occurred against Illinois State. Against the major rival, the team was composed and confident. Their attack was so strong that the Redbirds couldn’t record a single block all game.
The first set ended with the Braves winning 25-13, and they carried that dominance into a second-set win. However, ISU bounced back, winning comfortably in the third and taking the fourth set to a deuce before Bradley managed to eke it out, 26-24.
The team can’t seem to build much momentum as they barely hang on to a winning record, now standing at 13-12 on the year. With just three games remaining in the season, there isn’t much time left for them.
