This Week
Bradley will close out the home portion of the schedule Friday against I-74 rival Illinois State and will also play a road match at Indiana State on Sunday. Illinois State owns a 45-12 lead in the all-time series with the Braves dating back to the 1974 season and the Redbirds have won seven consecutive meetings. Bradley's last victory in the series was a five-game win on Sept. 19, 2003. The Braves own a 29-18 lead in the series with Indiana State and will be looking to complete the season sweep Sunday after defeating the Sycamores in three games earlier this season. Bradley has won three consecutive meetings and are 14-5 against Indiana State under ninth-year head coach Scott Luster.
Last Match In The Field House?
Friday's match against Illinois State could potentially be the last volleyball match Bradley plays at Robertson Memorial Field House. The University unveiled a 15-year master play in August that calls for the demolition of Robertson Field House and construction of a new on-campus arena for volleyball and women's basketball on the current site of the Field House. The Braves are 175-153 (.534) record at home since the start of the 1983 season and are 71-48 (.597) at Robertson Field House under ninth-year head coach Scott Luster. In addition to serving as the site for the 2002 State Farm MVC Volleyball Tournament, Robertson Field House was also the site of the Braves five-game victory against UNI, ending the Panthers 69-match conference winning streak.
Comiskey Steps Up to the Challenge
Freshman Kaitlyn Comiskey was inserted into the lineup at libero Saturday against Indiana State and was ready for the challenge posting season highs in digs and aces. Comiskey had appeared in 17 matches and played in 33 games averaging 1.55 digs per game while boasting just one ace on the year prior to her start on Saturday. She had match highs of 20 digs and four aces in the Braves three-game victory against the Sycamores, helping Bradley to a 51-44 edge in digs.
Tournament Field Starting To Take Shape
The field for the upcoming State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament has almost been determined with just one spot in the six-team field up for grabs. Northern Iowa, Wichita State, Missouri State and Creighton have all earned spots while Illinois State is guaranteed a spot in the field. Indiana State and Drake have both been eliminated, leaving Evansville, Southern Illinois and Bradley competing for the final spot. The Braves must win each of their final three matches to have any chance of making the tournament.
Bohan Nears Top 10
Senior Jennifer Bohan enters this week's action with a team-best 368 digs and needs 17 digs to break into Bradley's top 10 season totals for digs. Karla Huebner ranks 10th in school history, collecting 384 digs in 1986.
Black Closing In On 1,000 Assists
Sophomore Sam Black is closing in on 1,000 career assists, needing 68 assists to reach the mark. She will likely become the 11th player in program history with 1,000 assists, owning 932 assists as a Brave and needs 92 assists to pass Ange Martin for 10th place on the career list.
Trio of Braves Reach Milestones
A trio of Bradley players reach milestones for kills in the Braves three-game victory against Drake Saturday. The most notable was senior Amber DeBroux who became the 18th player in program history to reach 800 kills and currently has 811 in her career. Junior Nikki Pierzchala recorded her 500th career kill against the Bulldogs and now has 503 kills, while senior Amy McFarland notched her 300th career kill. With at least three matches remaining DeBroux needs 17 kills to pass former teammate Briony Hammet for 17th in school history, and 26 kills to pass Ann Franklin for 16th place.
Bradley's Career Kill Leaders
Player Years Kills MP
1. Lindsay Stalzer 2002-05 1948 123
2. Jenny Pavlas 1993-97 1732 120
3. Betsy Buckhold 1983-86 1408 159
4. Stacy Besjak 1982-85 1399 122
5. Abigail Kohnen 1996-99 1343 113
6. Stephanie Behrns 1999-02 1194 113
7. Jenna Passman 2000-03 1164 114
8. Blythe Zajakowski 1988-91 1043 115
9. Laura Benzing 1998-01 1028 95
10. Andra Dystrup 1986-89 1003 134
11. Kathy Bickler* 1982-85 1001 122
12. Cindy Novak 1992-95 989 116
13. Nicole Gagnon 1992-95 959 116
14. Lisa LaMontagne 1991-94 905 109
15. Mary Kay Schmidt 1990-93 849 113
16. Ann Franklin 2000-03 836 108
17. Briony Hammet 2002-05 827 122
18. Amber DeBroux 2003-06 811 102
19. Lisa Gehlhaar 1989-92 754 123
20. Sue Dodge 1985-88 709 135
Goncher On A Roll
Sophomore Katrina Goncher has been on a roll as of late, averaging 3.00 kills, 1.35 digs and 0.80 blocks per game over the last six matches. During that stretch she has reached double digits in kills four times and had a career-high 13 kills at Evansville. She followed that with a career-best 10 digs to go along with 11 kills at Southern Illinois for her first career double-double. Goncher is averaging 1.73 kills, 0.86 digs and 0.79 blocks per game this season.
Niemeyer Closing In On 600-600
Senior Kelly Niemeyer recorded her 600th career dig recently and is closing in on 600 career kills, needing 36 kills in the three remaining matches to reach the 600 kill mark. Niemeyer would be the 17th player in program history to reach both 600 kills and 600 digs as a Brave. Former teammates Lindsay Stalzer and Briony Hammet were the last two Braves to join the group. Niemeyer needs to average 12.0 kills per match to top 600 in both categories. She enters Friday's match with 277 kills and 314 digs, surpassing her previous career bests of 127 kills and 154 digs.
Digging The Night Away
Defense has been one of the strong points for the Braves in 2006 as Bradley ranks fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference averaging 18.08 digs per game. The 18.08 digs per game is the highest average for a Bradley squad since the 2000 team averaged 18.84 digs per game. In Missouri Valley Conference play the Braves are third, averaging 19.42 digs per game.
McFarland Ties School Mark
Senior Amy McFarland tied a school record for block assists in a three-game match, recording eight block assists in the Braves three-game sweep of Indiana State. McFarland's eight blocks were a career-high and the feat was more impressive as she played in only two of the three games. McFarland wasn't the only Bradley player to set a career-high for blocks against the Sycamores, with fellow senior Amber DeBroux also setting a career-best with eight blocks (two solo, six block assists).
Game One Key To Victory
Game one has been the key to victory all season for Bradley as the Braves are now 6-1 on the year when claiming victory in the opening game of a match. Bradley's only loss this season when winning game one was a five-game loss against Loyola. The Braves are 5-4 when winning game two of a match and 4-0 when claiming both of the first two games of a match.
Braves Earn First Valley Victory
Bradley snapped an 11-match losing streak and picked up its first Missouri Valley Conference victory in the process with a three-game sweep of Drake. The win also snapped a seven-match MVC road losing streak. The Braves have now won seven consecutive road matches against Drake, dating back to the 2000 season.
Non-Conference Slate Concluded
Bradley wrapped up non-conference play with a three-game road loss at Illinois-Chicago. The Braves finished the non-conference schedule with a 3-9 record, marking just the third time since the 1992 season that Bradley has finished non-conference play with a losing record. Bradley has been successful in non-conference action under ninth-year head coach Scott Luster, going 53-45 (.541) against non-Valley foes during his tenure. The Braves are 91-75 (.548) in non-conference play since the start of the 1992 campaign.
Luster's Success In Valley Play
Ninth-year Bradley head coach Scott Luster enters this weekend's action having led the Braves to a 74-85 (.465) mark in Missouri Valley Conference play in his near nine full seasons, which includes a 70-71 (.496) record in league action since the start of the 1999 season. Luster's success in Valley play is a big improvement for Bradley prior to his arrival. Luster surpassed Bradley's MVC win total from prior to his arrival earlier this season. The Braves were 71-118 (.376) in their first 15 seasons of conference affiliation (1983-97). All told, Bradley is 145-203 (.417) in league play.
Can You Dig It
After sitting out three consecutive matches midway through September, senior libero Jennifer Bohan returned to the lineup and has played a big role in the Braves solid defensive efforts of late. In the 13 matches since her return to the floor, Bohan averaged 4.78 digs per game and has a serve receive percentage of 96.9, after averaging 3.75 digs per game and boasting a 95.8 serve receive percentage in the first 13 matches of the year. She has had four outings with 21 or more digs and has been in double figures in digs in 12 of the 13 matches. She currently ranks seventh in the MVC in digs per game at 4.33 digs per game.
Losing Skid Snapped At 11
Bradley snapped an 11-match losing streak with a three-game victory at Drake. The Braves 11-match losing streak was the longest since dropping 11 consecutive matches midway through the 1990 season. Bradley also picked up its first Missouri Valley Conference victory of the year with the win in Des Moines. Bradley has had three other 0-5 starts to Valley play with the last coming in 2004, when the Braves started out 0-8 and finished 3-15. Bradley opened conference play with an 0-6 record in 1990 en route to a 1-8 mark and went 0-9 in league play in 1989.
Valley Openers
Bradley opened its 24th season of conference with a three-game loss to preseason Missouri Valley Conference favorite Northern Iowa. Bradley is now 15-9 record in conference openers but have lost two of the last three Valley openers. The Braves are 8-3 when opening MVC play at home, including a 2-2 record during ninth-year head coach Scott Luster's tenure. Bradley is 5-4 in Valley openers under Luster. Saturday's matchup was the third time Bradley and Northern Iowa have met to open league play, with the Panthers winning all three contests (1990 and 2004 in Cedar Falls, Iowa and 2006 in Peoria).
Braves Take Second At Radisson Invite
Bradley continued its recent trend of success in its own home tournaments, going 2-1 to finish second to Big East Conference member Cincinnati at the 2006 Radisson Hotel Invitational. The Braves are now 31-14 (.689) in regular-season home tournaments and an even more impressive 16-3 (.842) in home tournaments under ninth-year Bradley head coach Scott Luster. The Braves are now 26-7 (.788) in non-conference home matches under Luster.
Ranked Foes
Bradley's match against then 21st-ranked Arizona was the second match this season against a ranked team. The Braves also opened the season against a top 25 team, facing 16th-ranked Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind., to begin the season. The Braves haven't faced two ranked opponents in the same season since 2003, when Bradley played four matches against ranked teams (Stanford, Missouri and two against Northern Iowa). Bradley has now lost nine consecutive matches against ranked teams dating back to a four-game victory against then seventh-ranked Northern Iowa on Sept. 28, 2002. Bradley is 0-8 in road games against ranked teams under ninth-year head coach Scott Luster.
All-Tournament Honors
Seniors Kelly Niemeyer and Jennifer Bohan were both named to the all-tournament team at the 2006 Radisson Hotel Invitational, helping Bradley to a second-place finish. Niemeyer posted two double-doubles and averaged 4.36 kills, 4.82 digs, 0.27 aces and 0.55 digs per game during tournament play. Bohan averaged 4.27 digs per game for the Braves.
Niemeyer Has Career Night
Senior Kelly Niemeyer had a career night in Bradley's home opener, finishing with career bests of 27 kills and 27 digs in the Braves five-game victory against Western Illinois. Her previous career highs had been 17 kills and 18 digs. In addition, she also matched a career-high with three service aces and had a career best five block assists. Niemeyer's 27-kill, 27-dig effort is the first 20-kill, 20-dig performance by a Brave since Lindsay Stalzer's 27 kills, 21 digs against Illinois State last season. Niemeyer is the fifth player to have 20 kills and 20 digs in a match during ninth-year head coach Scott Luster's tenure. Niemeyer is the eighth Bradley player to accomplish the feat since the 1992 season.
Three-Match Win Streak Snapped
Bradley had a three-match win streak snapped by Cincinnati in the championship match of the 2006 Radisson Hotel Invitational, suffering a three-game loss to the Bearcats. Bradley's three-match win streak was the longest since winning eight consecutive matches in September last season.
Braves Go 1-2 At Purdue, Niemeyer Named All-Tournament
Senior Kelly Niemeyer recorded a pair of double-doubles to earn all-tournament honors at the Mortar Board Premier and fellow senior Amber DeBroux notched a career-high 23 kills in the Braves victory against Albany, as the duo helped Bradley to a 1-2 record at the Mortar Board Premier in West Lafayette, Ind., to open the season. Niemeyer averaged 3.70 kills and 3.60 digs per game in the first three matches, while DeBroux averaged 4.30 kills per game and hit .333.
Luster Nearing 600 Wins
Ninth-year Bradley head coach Scott Luster is closing in on 600 career victories, needing 22 wins to reach the mark. The second winningest coach in program history Luster owns a 130-134 record at BU and has a career mark of 578-385 (.600). Luster has coached in 963 matches as a Division I head coach, including 264 matches at Bradley. He has led the Braves to a 74-85 (.465) record in Missouri Valley Conference play. Bradley was just 71-118 (.376) in conference action prior to Luster's arrival on The Hilltop.
Bradley Career Coaching Victories
Overall Record Conference Record
Head Coach (Years) W L Pct. W L Pct.
Pam Stanek (1982-94) 212 249 .460 49 84 .368
Scott Luster (1998-present) 130 134 .492 74 85 .465
Anelle Griffin (1975-80) 115 86 .572 -- --- --
Kalani Mahi (1995-97) 38 53 .418 22 34 .393
Darlene Kluka (1981) 11 27 .289 -- -- --
Marty King (1974) 5 10 .333 -- -- --
