The Bradley volleyball team (2-1) opened up their regular season at the Eagle Challenge in Morehead, Kentucky last weekend with three matchups. The Braves dominated Hampton University and St. Francis College, but fell short to Morehead State after a furious comeback.
Last season the Braves compiled a 10-22 record, going 1-10 on the road. Coach Carol Price-Torok, entering her third season at Bradley, said playing road games this year will be a matter of adjustment, which she is confident in making with the current roster.
“The days of moral victories are over for us,” Price-Torok said. “We’ve taken those steps and we’ve grown, and we have 16 people at any given point that can come in and make a difference.”
The Friday doubleheader opened with a match versus Hampton. The Braves hit nine aces and avoided any from the Pirates attack. The Bradley freshmen dominated the lineup and helped guide the team to a three-set sweep. With five new recruits, Price-Torok cited the freshman class as a new breath of talent and depth to work with.
“We have a big senior-heavy class and a freshmen-heavy class,” Price-Torok said. “So we’re looking to [the freshmen] to take the load when these seniors graduate, but [we are] also looking to them to be ready to contribute right away and for the upperclassman to show them the way.”
Host Morehead State proved to be Bradley’s toughest challenge over the weekend. The Eagles grabbed the first set easily, winning 25-17. The Braves nearly won the second set before Morehead State went on a 3-0 run to close out the 25-23 win.
Down two sets to none, the dynamic duo of senior Erica Haslag and freshmen Hannah Thompson propelled Bradley on a 6-2 run in the last eight points. Bradley nabbed a 25-23 third set victory and capped the fourth set at 25-21. They could not finish the comeback bid as Morehead State won the fifth set 15-8.
“We got to see a lot of different people come in and contribute and changed from a 6-2 [rotation] to a 5-1 [rotation],” Price-Torok said. “I think it really turned the tide for us and kept us in that match.”
In the team’s final match against St. Francis, Thompson earned a weekend high of 19 kills. The Terriers took the first set at 25-23, but the Braves swept the next three sets behind Thompson and junior Hannah Angeli who contributed with 47 assists and 13 digs.
Haslag tallied 49 kills throughout the weekend after coming off a historic 2017 season where she recorded 530 kills. She received All-Tournament honors along with Thompson, who accumulated 44 kills throughout the weekend, the highest total for a freshman through the first three games of a season since 1991.
“Having another outside that can also kill it is awesome,” Haslag said of Thompson. “It alleviates a lot of pressure for me because last season I felt a lot of pressure that I had to get kills all the time and I had to be the one scoring and now I don’t feel that pressure as much. Hannah has definitely helped me out a ton and the rest of the team, which is great.”
The Braves will face off against University of Western Illinois, University of Toledo and George Washington University this weekend in the CEFCU Invitational. The home opener against Western Illinois will start at 6 p.m. tonight at the Renaissance Coliseum.
