MACOMB, Ill. -- Freshman Rachelle Dejean (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) recorded 33 digs and three Bradley players reached double figures in kills to lead the Bradley volleyball team to a 25-19, 25-19, 21-25, 27-25 victory at Western Illinois. The win snapped a five-match losing streak for the Braves and also ended a seven-match road losing skid which dated back to last season.

Dejean helped the Braves (4-9 overall) post a season-best 92 digs with her season-high 33 digs to pace Bradley's defensive efforts. The 33 digs is tied for the fourth most in school history and is the highest total since Oct. 22, 2005. The victory snapped a nine-match losing skid in non-conference road contests which dated back to the 2005 season.

Bradley broke open a tightly contested opening set with a 7-2 run. The Braves led 17-15 when freshman Meghan Schmidt (Bloomington, Ill./Central Catholic) sparked the run with a kill. Senior Sam Black (Atalissa, Iowa/West Liberty) followed with another kill and posted two kills and three aces to highlight the run that pushed Bradley's lead to 24-17. Junior Kaitlyn Comiskey (Crystal Lake, Ill./South) closed out the set with a kill to hand the Braves a 25-19 victory.

Western Illinois (5-9 overall) struggled against the Bradley defense in the third set, hitting just .086 in the frame. The Braves hit .179 as a team in the second set and pulled away from the Westerwinds in the early going. Bradley held a 15-10 lead when Schmidt would record three kills to highlight a 5-0 BU run that pushed the lead to 19-10. Western Illinois cut the Bradley lead to five points, but the Braves posted another 25-19 win to take a commanding two sets to none lead.

The Westerwinds took the third set 25-21 to prevent a Bradley sweep. The Braves trailed by just two points (19-17), when Western Illinois ran off three consecutive points to push its lead to 22-17. Bradley would not be able to cut the WIU lead under four points as the Westerwinds prevailed 25-21.

The fourth set went back and forth, featuring six lead changes and 12 ties. The Braves held a 19-15 lead before Western Illinois would score four of the next five points to pull to within one point at 20-19. The Westerwinds took a 23-22 advantage when sophomore Emily Austin (St. Louis, Mo./Oakville) found the floor with a kill and a WIU attack error gave BU a 24-23 lead. With the score knotted at 25-25, Bradley retook the lead on a Western Illinois attack error. Another WIU attack error gave BU a 27-25 win to put the finishing touches on a BU victory.

Sophomore Melissa Collins (Manchester, Mo./Parkway South) and junior Amy Reichel (Schaumburg, Ill./Schaumburg) tied for team-high honors with 12 kills, while Schmidt tied a season-best with 11 kills. Rachelle Dejean was one of four Bradley players in double figures in digs with her season-best 33. Black posted her team-leading sixth double-double of the year, finishing with 42 assists and 15 digs.

Monique Houston led Western Illinois offensively with 13 kills. Emily Harrison, the younger sister of former Bradley volleyball player Jenna Harrison, added 11 kills and 12 digs. Westerwinds setter Sarah Trimpe posted a triple-double, finishing with 11 kills, 35 assists and 17 digs.

Bradley returns to action Friday when the Braves travel to Terre Haute, Ind., for a 6 p.m. (EDT) Missouri Valley Conference match against Indiana State.