After two victories against Loyola and Valparaiso to extend their conference record to six wins, Bradley volleyball fell to Illinois State 3-1 on Monday in Bloomington.
A Bradley win would have tied the team with Illinois State for second place in the conference behind Northern Iowa, but the Redbirds jumped out to a 2-0 advantage before Bradley won the third set 25-18.
The Braves led 23-22 in the fourth set, but Illinois State grabbed two consecutive points to lead 24-23.
Bradley eventually fell 26-24 in the fourth set to lose the match. Sophomore Sara Maddox said a mix of miscommunication and fatigue caused the team to fall early.
“It was our third game of the weekend, and we did a lot of good things in the game, but altogether our connection just wasn’t there and it just hurt us,” Maddox said.
The team stands at a 2-5 road record despite a flawless 10-0 home record, one win away from tying the most home wins in a single season. The matches against Loyola and Valparaiso on Friday and Saturday at the Renaissance Coliseum reflected the flawless record.
The first three sets of the Braves win over Loyola were heavily contested. Bradley won the first set 25-21 and Loyola followed suit with a 25-21 win in the second set. A Maddox kill and a Ramblers error gave Bradley the 26-24 third set win and the Braves were able to dominate the fourth set 25-12.
Four players had 10 or more kills, led by freshman Hannah Thompson and Maddox with 12 kills, followed by senior Erica Haslag with 11 and junior Kathryn Graf with 10. Junior Hannah Angeli led the team with 40 assists which thrilled head coach Carol Price-Torok.
“Hannah Angeli found her groove and found her confidence to set those middles and right sides, and I think that opened up for everyone,” Price-Torok said.
Angeli added that she found her effectiveness during the weekend.
“I love my job just because it makes [my teammates] successful, so whenever I see that they get a kill or anything it just makes me feel great,” Angeli said. “Having a good weekend, to me, just means that I was good for them.”
Angeli tallied 47 assists and helped the Braves’ sweeping crusade on Valparaiso in three sets. Haslag recorded a match-high 17 kills and Maddox attacked for 14 kills, continuing a successful weekend for her.
Price-Torok emphasized defense for the match and said that’s exactly what her team delivered.
“Defensively, [Yavianliz Rosado], [Kat Poore], [Abby Ihrke] and [Thompson] did a great job, and we [were] able to move them into a position where we need them and it’s been successful for us,” Price-Torok said.
The Braves will take on Missouri State and Southern Illinois today and tomorrow at the Renaissance Coliseum. The last match against both teams ended with a 3-1 win for the Braves each. Maddox said the team is confident heading into the weekend and believes both opponents will be fierce in an attempt for revenge.
Bradley will look to tie the record for most home wins in a season against the Bears at 7 p.m. tonight.
