It was a tough start to the week for the Bradley volleyball team, as they fell victim to a series sweep from conference foe Drake on Sunday and Monday. Both losses came in four sets. With the losses, the Braves are now 1-3 on the young season.
“[I’m] happy with the way we responded,” head coach Carol Price-Torok said. “If you look at the stats on paper from Sunday to Monday, you’ll see some drastic changes in the statistical categories, so I think that shows a lot of improvements.”
Junior outside hitter Hannah Thompson had a stellar weekend, putting up double-doubles in both matches for the 46th and 47th such times in her Bradley career. She added 17 kills and 24 digs in Sunday’s opener and 12 kills and 26 digs on Monday. Thompson also became the 25th player in school history to reach 800 career kills.
“She played really, really consistent on offense and defensive side of things, which is something that we do always count on her for,” Price-Torok said.
A welcome sight were the contributions from junior setter Kora Kauling, who along with Thompson put up two double-doubles over the weekend. A goal for the team was to get Kauling more involved on the offensive end.
“She really helped open up things for Hannah,” Price Torok said. “The middles on the other side of the net had to hold and wait with Kora [Kauling] because she was so active, that gave them more opportunities for one-on-one blocks of seams in the blocks.”
The Braves struggled in the first match of the weekend doubleheader, falling victim to a four-set loss. The Bulldogs forced 12 Bradley errors in set one, winning the first two sets 25-11 and 25-18. The Braves won the third set after jumping out to a 7-1 lead to open and finishing with a 9-1 run to win the set 25-18.
However, they were once again plagued by sloppy play in the final set as the Bulldogs forced 10 errors, winning the set 25-17 to close out a four-set victory. The Braves were limited to a .091 hitting percentage on the night.
“It was an error-fest,” Price-Torok said. “They had a great game plan and we felt like we were not executing at a high enough level.”
The second match featured improvements over the first match. The first set featured strong offensive outings by both teams. After a 10-10 tie midway through the first set, the Bulldogs went on a 6-1 run, carrying them to a 25-19 first set win. The Braves countered with a 25-18 victory in the second set anchored by stellar defensive play. Bradley totaled 38 digs in the second frame, 14 from Thompson and 10 from freshman Doga Topcicek. The Braves then proceeded to lose the final two sets 25-20 and 25-19.
The team’s attention now turns to a home series against Indiana State.
Despite being picked to finish last in the conference, the Trees have a 2-3 overall record and a 2-2 conference record, ranking in the middle of the pack to begin the season. Price-Torok said they distribute the ball well and will pose a test for the Braves’ offense.
“They have three attackers in the front row at all times,” Price-Torok said. “They’re pretty even with who they set and how many times they set them … we’re just going to have to be really patient and trust our offense.”
After the Drake series, the Braves remain focused on simply staying consistent.
“[We want to make] sure that the people that we can count on, we can continue to count on them, that they show up every night and do their job individually so that our team can collectively continue to work together,” Price-Torok said.
The first serve is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Sunday at Renaissance Coliseum. Monday’s match is scheduled for 5 p.m.
