NORMAL, Ill. -- Seniors Kelly Niemeyer and Amber DeBroux finished with 16 and 14 kills, respectively, but Bradley struggled offensively and Illinois State shined on defense, as the Redbirds claimed a 30-26, 30-26, 27-30, 30-17 victory in the first meeting of the annual I-74 volleyball rivalry Thursday night at Redbird Arena. Bradley fell to 4-16 overall and 1-7 in Missouri Valley Conference play with the loss.

The Braves hit .067 as a team and the Redbirds held an 85-69 edge in digs and totalled 13 blocks, while attacking at a .191 clip to defeat the Braves in four games. Niemeyer and DeBroux were the only two Bradley players to finish with more than five kills, combining for 30 of BU's 47 kills on the night. Illinois State had four players reach double figures in kills, paced by M.C. Richmond's 16 kills.

Despite struggling offensively in game one, the Braves hung close with Illinois State until the closing moments of the opener. The Redbirds held a 22-21 lead after a Kelly Niemeyer kill, but ISU responded with a 6-1 run to take a 28-22 lead. The Braves scored four of the next five points before Kari Staehlin closed out the game with a kill to give Illinois State a 30-26 victory. The Redbirds held a 19-14 edge in digs in the game and limited Bradley to a .000 hitting percentage.

Defense dominated game two, with the teams combining for 51 digs in the frame. Illinois State held a 29-22 edge in digs during the second game and held the Braves to a .100 attack percentage. Staehlin helped put game two out of reach recording a pair of kills during a 4-1 Redbird spurt that put ISU ahead 28-23. She and M.C. Richmond helped pace Illinois State with five kills each in the 30-26 ISU win.

Niemeyer tallied eight kills and DeBroux added five kills of her own to help the Braves to a 30-27 victory in game three. Niemeyer recorded two of her eight game-three kills during a key 6-1 BU run that gave the Braves a 26-21 lead. The Redbirds rallied to pull to within one point at 28-27, but DeBroux put Bradley ahead with a kill and a Redbird attack error gave the Braves the game three victory.

Illinois State (9-9 overall, 4-4 MVC) dominated play at the net in the fourth game, tallying six of its 13 blocks on the night in the last game. The Redbirds capitalized on the Braves errors as Bradley committed 13 attack errors, three service errors and two ball handling errors in the final frame. ISU held the Braves to a -.045 attack percentage and closed out the match with a 30-17 victory.

Niemeyer finished with 16 kills and 13 digs for her team-best ninth double-double of the year. DeBroux added 14 kills and a team-high .244 attack percentage to go along with two aces and four block assists. Junior Eileen Hillary chipped in with her first double-double of the year, tallying 40 assists and a career-high 14 digs to lead the Braves.

Richmond led Illinois State with 16 kills and attacked at a .324 clip. Staehlin added 15 kills and hit .379 to also help pace the Redbirds. Lindley McDavid contributed 11 kills, 10 digs and six blocks, while Kasey Mollerus helped lead the ISU defensive efforts with 24 digs.

Bradley returns to action Saturday when the Braves open a three-match homestand with a 7 p.m. match against Indiana State at Robertson Memorial Field House.