In their first tournament of the season, Bradley volleyball defeated Quinnipiac and Western Illinois, but lost to UT Arlington at the CEFCU Invitational.
The Braves started the weekend with a loss to the Mavericks, but it was a tight battle.
Bradley took the first set 25-19, before UT Arlington won the second by the same margin. The teams split the third and fourth sets before the Mavericks won the fifth 15-12 and handed the Braves their first loss of the season.
Junior Tendai Titley led the way with 17 kills and five blocks. Freshman Gracie Furlong and sophomore Dakota Elliott followed with 11 and 10, respectively. Senior Irene Mostardini totaled 23 digs and five aces, while Maria Drapp led the team in assists with 37.
Bradley had two games on Saturday, one early in the morning against Quinnipiac and another later that night against Western Illinois. Quinnipiac started its match against the Braves with an eight-point win in the first set. Afterward, however, Bradley was dominant, winning the following three sets by scores of 25-23, 25-21 and 25-23.
This time, Elliott led the team in kills (12) and blocks (nine), and three players scored on an ace: Furlong, and juniors Mairen Mannon and Megan DePoorter. Furlong also totaled 16 digs, leading the team, and Drapp put up another 33 assists, totaling 30 or more assists for the second game in a row.
Bradley’s final game came against the Western Illinois Leathernecks, whom the Braves defeated quite easily. The teams seemed to be on even footing from the opening serve, but once it was all said and done, Bradley won all three sets, 25-20, 25-23 and 25-21, making their official record 2-1.
Titley and junior Angelina Sayles had 10 kills each, with Mannon behind them at nine. Mostardini put up 23 more digs and five more aces, leading the team in both categories across three games. Drapp totaled 32 assists, finishing with the most on the team again, and Mannon led the Braves with two blocks on a night where blocks were hard to come by.
Bradley will travel to Asheville, North Carolina this weekend to face the College of Charleston, Charlotte and Western Carolina in the Blue Ridge Volleyball Classic. Their first game will start on Friday at 10 a.m.
