PEORIA, Ill. -- Ninth-year Bradley Volleyball head coach Scott Luster knew his Braves faced a serious challenge in the team's season opener at 16th-ranked Purdue, and the Boilermakers proved why they are one of the favorites to compete for the Big Ten championship, sweeping Bradley 30-20, 30-21, 30-15 to open play at Mortar Board Premier in West Lafayette, Ind., Friday morning.

Bradley (0-1 overall) hit .080 for the match and were outblocked by Purdue (1-0 overall) 12-2 in the match. Senior Kelly Niemeyer led the Braves offensively with 11 kills and also boasted a team-high nine digs. Fellow senior Amber DeBroux and junior Nikki Pierzchala each added seven kills in the loss that extended the Braves losing streak in season openers to six. Bradley opened a season on the road for the sixth consecutive season

After winning the first two games 30-20 and 30-21, Purdue came out hot in the third game, boasting a .364 hitting percentage and limiting the Braves to a .000 attack percentage in the frame to sweep the match with a 30-15 victory. Emily Williams paced the Boilermakers offensively with 11 kills and a .625 attack percentage. Danita Merlau added 10 kills and three aces, while Samantha Mader collected nine kills and hit at a .533 clip.

Bradley returns to action later today at the Mortar Board Premier, facing Clemson at 4 p.m. (CDT) in West Lafayette, Ind.