The six-game winning streak is over, but the Bradley volleyball team remains in a good place heading into a crucial stretch of the season.
“It was a tough weekend,” head coach Carol Price-Torok said. “But we’re happy with the way the girls responded from Sunday to Monday.”
The Braves are currently in second place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings after splitting their weekend series against Valparaiso. After suffering a three-set sweep on Sunday, the team bounced back to record a four-set win on Monday. After this weekend, the Braves have won seven of their last eight games.
“It was a really fun game,” junior setter Kora Kauling said. “We’re just going after it and I’m really excited to continue forward.”
This week, it was the young players who stepped up. Due to an injury to junior outside hitter Kat Poore, the Braves were forced to rely on freshman Abby Johnson on the right side of the block. Johnson capitalized on her opportunity, adding nine kills on Sunday and 19 the following day. In her first career start, freshman outside hitter Jasmine Green added 11 kills.
“They were both really key parts to us winning this weekend because they both were just phenomenal,” Kauling said. “We really figured out personnel better and were a lot more positive going into the second game and just got in a better rhythm.”
The emergence of Green, who previously was in a reserve role, was a much-needed relief for the Braves at the outside hitter position.
“Jasmine has been doing some great stuff in practice for us and [we were] able to give her a shot because we weren’t really getting enough point scoring in our O2 position,” Price-Torok said. “She was able to come in and really get that done. For us, it was nice.”
In the first match, Bradley came out on the wrong foot as they were swept by Valpo (13-25, 26-28 and 20-25) to snap their six-game winning streak. Junior outside hitter Hannah Thompson added seven kills and 12 digs. Sophomore libero/defensive specialist Serena Sparks led the defensive effort with 19 digs.
The Braves were limited by Valpo to a .146 hitting percentage and 17 forced errors. A usually stout defense allowed Valpo to hit .417 in the first set and .292 overall on the day.
“Both their middles on Sunday’s match hit for a high percentage, and were really able to score at will basically,” Price-Torok said.
Monday’s match seemed to be a repeat of the previous day’s events in the first set as Bradley fell to Valpo 18-25. But a 7-0 Bradley run in the second set carried them to a much-needed 25-19 set victory. It ended up turning the tide for the Braves as they took the next two sets (25-22 and 25-19) to split the season series against Valpo.
Next up for the Braves is a crucial test at home against Loyola-Chicago. The Ramblers currently rank fourth in the conference with a 6-4 Valley record and a 7-4 overall mark. They are starting to play better volleyball as of late due to getting key starters back from injuries. To slow down the Rambler attack, it’s all about the strategy for the Braves.
“We’re going to have to have a great game plan, really trying to slow down their right side … and just kind of continue to harp on the same things, serving and passing and execute defensively,” Price-Torok said.
The first serve is set for 3 p.m. Sunday at Renaissance Coliseum. Monday’s match is scheduled for 5 p.m.
