Bradley volleyball found the win column for the first time since Sept. 9, as they beat Indiana State and Evansville to snap a 13-match losing streak and pick up their first two conference wins.
Bradley (9-15, 2-9 MVC) faced the Sycamores on Oct. 20 but the match did not last long, as the Braves swept the 3-18 team that snapped a 14-match losing streak of their own six days prior. Bradley overtook Indiana State in the MVC standings with the win, moving out of last place for the first time since conference play began.
The star of the show was senior Jasmine Green, who captured a double-double with 11 kills and 12 digs. Some other standouts were graduate transfer Dru Kuck who also had 11 digs, and she was accompanied by fifth-year senior Karagan Coggin and senior Abby Johnson who had eight kills apiece.
Coggin’s eight kills were enough to put her on the 1,000-kill list, becoming only the 16th player in program history to achieve the feat. Bradley hit for a percentage over 100 points better than Indiana State, as they hit .295 to the Sycamores’ .174.
The Braves weren’t done there, as they beat Evansville 3-1 the following day to complete the weekend sweep. Bradley won the first set 25-18, then struggled in the second game, losing 25-20. They rebounded in the third game 25-14, which was followed by another victory of over five points at 25-17.
Johnson led the team with 11 kills, followed by Green at nine and Coggin at eight. Green also had an outstanding four aces and 23 digs. Kuck had a similar stat line with two aces and 21 digs.
The Braves earned five more blocks and 10 more block assists than Evansville, a key statistic that explains their victory. Coggin set another record in this match with 511 career sets played, the most in Bradley history.
Bradley now prepares for two upcoming matches this weekend against foes that swept them earlier in the season. The Braves face Drake on Friday in Des Moines, Iowa before taking on Northern Iowa and their 12-match winning streak the next day in Cedar Falls.
