The Bradley volleyball team (7-10) took their talents to Nashville, Tennessee and Murray, Kentucky over the weekend to face Belmont and Murray State. The team suffered two more sweeps due, in large part, to injuries suffered by key players the weekend prior against Northern Iowa and Drake.
With injuries, however, come opportunities for players to step up when times get rough.
Sophomore Kendall Minta has been one of Bradley’s main contributors this season and she added 15 blocks over the weekend, leading the team and making clutch plays to bring the Braves back when in a hole.
“She makes blocking a priority and she gets her hands over and takes away angles,” head coach Alicia Williams said.
Junior Silan Demirkol also had a great outing, as she led the team in kills (20) and digs (22). Without her performance, the Braves would have been at an even larger disadvantage.
Demirkol understands the situation that her team is in and is willing to step up when she can.
“Two of my best friends got injured last weekend and I just wanted to perform well for my teammates and coaching staff, that was my driving force,” Demirkol said.
In the first match against Belmont, the Braves started out lagging behind in every set but eventually found their way back to even the score a few times. Every set came down to the wire, but the Braves’ winless streak was extended to seven games.
The next day, it was extended to eight games after falling to Murray State. Demirkol had nine kills and fifth-year senior Karagan Coggin added seven more, but the Braves hit just .125 as the team moved to 0-4 in conference play.
Despite the disappointing weekend, Williams appreciated the way her squad fought through adversity.
“I’m really proud of our team because [we had] close sets and we have four starters that are not able to play, and so we’re really asking other players to step up into bigger roles and for them to compete,” Williams said. “It helps our girls recognize we still have the talent we need.”
Even though the Braves lost both matches, the coaching staff continues to tinker with their lineup as they try to fill the holes that were left by injured players. The team, however, continues to gain confidence in the talent and depth on their roster.
Looking forward to their next matches, Bradley heads to Chicago to face UIC on Oct. 6 and then to Valparaiso on Oct. 7.
