Bradley volleyball continued its success in Missouri Valley Conference play last weekend at the Renaissance Coliseum against Evansville, Indiana State and Illinois State, securing eight of 11 sets.
To kick off the weekend, the Braves faced the Evansville Aces. The Braves won convincingly, securing all three sets with a 28-point advantage and an overall match score of 75-47.
“We play our game,” junior Irene Mostardini said. “We never really think about who is on the other side [of the net]. We just went with our game plan and wanted to mainly focus on our team and [game] goals: play good defense and be aggressive.”
On Saturday, Bradley faced the Indiana State Sycamores. The Braves secured the first set, but it came down to the wire, and the team narrowly escaped with the 27-25 victory.
“We just were really thinking about what was going on on the other side [of the net],” head coach Williams said. “I called a time-out and just reminded them that we are a team that wins tight sets. They all lit up and won that tight set.”
That reminder drove Bradley to wins in the second set, 25-11, and the third set, 25-14, for their second win of the weekend.
After a day of rest, the Braves were back at home against long-time rival Illinois State. The first set was a battle, but ultimately, Bradley persevered, winning 25-23.
Unfortunately, the Redbirds quickly recovered and secured the second set 25-16 and the third 25-21; however, the Braves regained momentum in the fourth set with a 25-20 win.
Despite Bradley’s efforts, the Redbirds took the match with a win in the fifth set 15-13.
“I think that no matter who is leading those few points [in a set], whether that is two or five, we just have to bring the same intensity that we had in the first set,” junior Iva Popovic said. “No matter if you are leading or losing, we just have to thrive [to the best of our ability] till the end of the set.” The Braves will be back in action this weekend, competing against Drake and Northern Iowa at the Renaissance Coliseum.