After being swept by Illinois State in their season opener on Jan. 25, the Bradley volleyball team flipped the script at home Monday night with a sweep of their own, beating their I-74 rival 27-25, 27-25 and 25-23. The win clinched a series split between the two teams.
The victory provided the team a confidence booster heading into this weekend’s series against Drake.
“I think when you have a rivalry, it definitely shows you what we’ve been working on at all the practices we had,” head coach Carol Price-Torok said. “It shows a lot of the work that you’re doing is paying off.”
Price-Torok believes the time between matches also played to the Braves’ advantage.
“With the close turnarounds, you get to watch film and get reorganized work on some defensive strategies and offensive strategies,” Price-Torok said.
Sophomore Karagan Coggin and junior Hannah Thompson added eight kills each. Defensively, freshman Abby Johnson led the effort with six blocks while Thompson led the match in digs with 17. The Braves limited the Redbirds to a .148 hitting percentage and forced 26 errors, half of which came in the third set.
On the attack, the Braves were led by freshman Doga Topcicek, who finished with a team-leading 10 kills in just her second career collegiate match. A native of Istanbul, Turkey, Topcicek played in a professional league before arriving on the Hilltop. Her experience and game knowledge give Price-Torok the confidence to give her an increased role on the team.
“We’re asking a lot from her as a freshman, and I think she can handle that,” Price-Torok said. “Her experience, from a playing standpoint, is right up there with some of the juniors and seniors that are in our conference … so I think big things are going to come from her.”
The team’s focus now turns to Drake. The Bulldogs boast one of the top teams in the conference with a 4-1 overall record and a 2-0 conference record, both conference wins coming against pre-season favorite Northern Iowa. Their lone loss came against No. 25 Marquette, a team that was upset by Illinois State.
“[Drake is] definitely underrated,” Price-Torok said. “They have some really, really great pieces; definitely a veteran team, senior-heavy compared to us.”
Statistically, Drake ranks second in the Missouri Valley Conference with a .182 hitting percentage, all while holding opponents to a .140 hitting percentage. In order to stay competitive this weekend, Price-Torok said the goal is to limit mistakes while emphasizing the importance of the serving and passing game.
“For us, we’re just going to continue to clean up the errors,” Price-Torok said. “The biggest thing for us is winning the serve and pass game. [We] want to really be clean from the service line and win the first touch games that we have all of our offensive options.”
Though the Drake series presents an early-season challenge for the team, the energy is palpable.
“I’m excited,” Price-Torok said. “We have a really young team, our young players are giving a lot of experience, and I think that’s something that’s going to bode well for us.”
The first serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday at Drake. Monday’s match is scheduled for 5 p.m.
