Fresh off two straight wins, Bradley volleyball (8-15, 4-7 MVC) went 1-1 on the weekend facing off against Valley newcomers Murray State and Belmont.
The Braves have struggled mightily on the road this year and had lost every road match this season heading into the game against the Racers. The Missouri Valley Conference added three new schools this season, which head coach Alicia Williams thinks factors into the Braves’ struggles away from Renaissance Coliseum.
“We have some teams in the Valley that they are not used to,” Williams said. “I think being in uncharted territory is a little bit difficult.”
The away game struggles for the Braves continued on Friday against Murray State, losing the match in four sets.
Despite losing in four, the match was highly competitive. Neither team led by more than two points in the first set, but the Racers would eventually take the first frame 26-24.
The second set was Bradley’s best of the night. The Braves got out to an early 10-3 start, but the Racers got hot and tied the set 20-20. Bradley would then score five straight points, aided by three critical mistakes from Murray State.
The third set was dominated by the Racers. After getting out to a 3-2 start, they never relinquished the lead again and won the set 25-15.
With victory in sight, Murray State got out to a 3-0 start in the fourth set, but the Braves did not give up. Bradley took the lead 11-9 and eventually pushed the lead to 23-22. In the waning moments of the game, the Braves committed three attack errors to give Murray State the 25-23 win.
Afterwards, Williams felt the team could’ve handled Murray State’s blocking better and been more aggressive.
“We got blocked a lot. We did not move the ball with our hands very much; we were just kind of swinging straight,” Willams said. “Murray State isn’t very known for blocking, so I think we were not thinking about hitting around our block. They blocked us a lot, and I think that defeated us as attackers.”
Junior Doga Topcicek led the way with 14 kills against the Racers, while junior Abby Johnson and freshman Kendall Minta combined for 13 blocks.
The next day, the Braves faced off against Belmont and earned their first road win of the season.
The first set against the Bruins was a tough one for the Braves. Belmont started the match on a 7-1 run and never relinquished the lead, winning the set 25-14.
The beginning of the second set was almost identical to the first. The Bruins opened on a 4-1 run, but Bradley was able to adjust this time around. The Braves slowly got themselves back into the game and took their first lead 15-14. The match was back and forth from that point on, but Bradley never gave up their lead and won the set 25-23.
After the win in the second set, the Braves never looked back. Bradley took the third set 25-16 and the fourth set 25-21. Minta had 14 kills to outpace Johnson’s 11 and Topcicek’s 10, while senior Carlee Camlin added 13 digs.
“I thought that they made some really good in-game adjustments, which have been hard for us to do this year,” Williams said. “I really applauded them for that. I think that’s what created the win for them.”
The squad hopes to make a push late in the season before heading into the MVC Tournament, starting today and tomorrow against Southern Illinois and Missouri State.
