The Bradley volleyball team (7-15, 0-9 MVC) traveled to Normal on Oct. 16 to take on Illinois State (9-12, 7-2 MVC) in the I-74 rivalry, looking to snap a 12-match losing streak.
After four back-and-forth sets to open the match, the Braves went into a fifth set for the fourth game in a row. Unfortunately, the final set went to Illinois State, leaving Bradley winless in the Missouri Valley Conference and extending the Redbirds’ winning streak to seven games.
Even with the loss, there were great individual performances. Fifth-year senior Karagan Coggin put up 10 kills and an ace, adding on to her three blocks in the same matchup last year. Senior Abby Johnson also had 10 kills, taking her total to 26 in the last two games against ISU.
As always, the team was excited to play against one of their biggest rivals, but at the end of the day it’s still just a normal game to them.
“I think because it is a big rivalry, we always come in pretty hyped up and ready for the game,” Coggin said. “But we take it as if it was any other game, because you don’t want to overdo how hype you are, because that can also cause a lot of error and a lot of tension.”
With nine games left in the season, there’s still plenty of time for the Braves to improve their record. Even with their lack of wins so far, head coach Alicia Williams is still proud of how her players have competed and believes that the team can turn this season around.
“We know that we’re right there with a bunch of teams. We just have to really get a little luck to land our way and not the other team’s way,” Williams said. “I feel like that was the best fifth set that we’ve played in terms of not getting tight. I thought we took a really big step.”
Even the players believe that they’re improving, as seen in how close their last few matches have been.
“Honestly, this past weekend and against ISU, they may not have been wins in the record book, but I think they were really successful matches,” Johnson said. “I’d say the improvement is there and we are slowly climbing that ladder.”
Coggin said that the first step the players can take to improve is to look to the future.
“I think the best thing that we can do as a team is not think about the past,” Coggin said. “Hey, we lost games, so what? It’s a brand new game every time and I think if we have that mindset, I think that’s going to help us.”
The Braves will play the Redbirds once again on Nov. 15 at Renaissance Coliseum. However, the players want to take the schedule step by step.
“We’re not forgetting about our opponents in between. It’s not even one match at a time, it’s one set at a time,” Johnson said. “We’re not thinking about the next day’s match, we’re not thinking about the further sets in this match, and we’re not thinking about ISU or the next teams that we’re going to play.”
The team faces Indiana State on Oct. 20 and Evansville on Oct. 21 at Renaissance Coliseum.
