Bradley volleyball entered conference play 6-6 last weekend, with matches against Evansville and Illinois State on the horizon. The Braves’ season had not gone exactly as planned, as the team struggled against teams with winning records.
The tide shifted against the Purple Aces.
The Braves flew in at full force and won all three sets. The team scored efficiently, as senior Anna Kiss and freshmen Tendai Titley and Gracie Furlong combined for 27 kills, more than half the team’s total. The Braves also demonstrated their tenacity on defense with four blocks and 29 digs.
Momentum from the Evansville match propelled the Braves into a tense home game against rival Illinois State. The teams traded the first two sets, and neither one gave an inch. In the third set, Bradley pulled away at the end, scoring five points in a row to take the lead 2-1.
The fourth set was tied at 21-21.
The Braves were close to victory; they just had to keep pushing. Unfortunately, they gave up, not scoring a single point for the rest of the set. The team couldn’t relax; they had to get ready for the pivotal fifth set.
Bradley got off to a strong 8-2 start and never let up, eventually taking the set and the game.
After an exhausting effort, the team now stands at 8-6 on the season, an indicator that things are starting to turn around for them.
The performance was one of the Braves’ best of the season. Freshman Gracie Furlong had 16 kills, tying for her second-best effort all season. Sophomore setter Maria Drapp notched her third-best assist total for any match this season with 44, and junior Mairen Mannon rose for five blocks, her second-best total so far.
The Braves will stay at home this Friday and Saturday as they host the University of Illinois Chicago and Valparaiso University. They’ll hope they can keep the winning streak going against two more conference opponents.
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