Box Score PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley won the first two sets against Indiana State 25-22 and 25-18 before the Sycamores rallied to take the final three sets 25-22, 25-19, 18-16 and top the Braves in five sets Friday in Missouri Valley Conference volleyball action at the Markin Family Student Recreation Center. Senior Amy Reichel (Schaumburg, Ill./Schaumburg) led Bradley offensively with a match-high 18 kills.
The Braves (9-18 overall, 0-13 MVC) were in control for most of the first set and hit .310 as a team en route to a 25-22 win. Five Bradley players collected three kills or more in the opening set as the Braves tallied 18 kills in the victory. BU held a 23-22 lead when freshmen Skylar Lesan (Solon, Iowa/Solon) and Madelyn Ervin (Lewis Center, Ohio/Olentangy) notched back-to-back kills to close out the set for the Braves.
Bradley raced out to an early 13-6 lead in the second set as junior Caitlin Staib (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) highlighted a 9-1 BU run with a pair of kills and a block. The Braves limited Indiana State (7-21 overall, 3-11 MVC) to an .025 attack percentage in the second frame and cruised to a 25-18 win.
BU appeared to be in control in the third set, leading 18-15, when the Sycamores would rally. Three consecutive Bradley attack errors and a BU set error led to five straight Indiana State points as the Sycamores grabbed a 20-18 advantage. The Braves tied the score at 22-22 after a Lesan ace, but back-to-back kills by Indiana State's Jodilynne Stoker and an ace by Ana Maira Charun gave the Sycamores a 25-22 victory. The Sycamores hit .154 in the first two sets, but heated up to hit .364 in the third set.
Indiana State broke open the fourth set with an 8-1 push to take a commanding 22-15 lead. Stoker registered a kill and an ace with the score tied at 14-14 to give the Sycamores at 16-14 lead. Charun added a pair of kills to help highlight the Indiana State spurt. Bradley would get no closer than five points (23-18 and 24-19) before the Sycamores were able to force a deciding fifth set with a 25-19 win.
With the score tied 8-8 in the fifth set, Indiana State used a 6-1 run to set up match point at 14-9. The Braves answered with five consecutive points to tie the set again at 14-14. Reichel opened the BU run with a kill and sophomore Annie Cave (Easton, Ill./Illini Central) followed with a block assist and back-to-back kills. Reichel knotted the score at 14-14 with her match-high 18th kill of the night.
The teams traded points on the next four serves and the score was tied 16-16 when a Bradley attack error gave the Sycamores a 17-16 advantage. Charun capped the Indiana State comeback with a kill to close out an 18-16 Sycamore win.
Bradley hit .163 as a team, compared to .197 for Indiana State. The Braves matched a season-high 13 blocks and BU's eight aces were the most since Sept. 12, but the Sycamores boasted a 93-79 edge in digs
Reichel led all players with 18 kills, while Staib tied a career-high with 12 kills to go along with five blocks. Cave also was in double figures with 10 kills. Lesan tallied a season-best seven kills and finished with her team-best 16th double-double (45 assists, 13 digs) of the year. Sophomore Rachelle Dejean (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) led Bradley with 22 digs, while Ervin recorded season-highs of seven blocks (one solo and six block assists) and eight digs.
Stoker, Charun and Stacy Qualizza paced Indiana State offensively with 13 kills each. Setter Whitney Fromm had 55 assists and 16 digs, while Kiya James collected a match-high 30 digs to lead four Sycamores in double figures with 10 or more digs.
Bradley returns to action Saturday when the Braves host I-74 rival Illinois State at 7 p.m. at Lorene Ramsey Gym in East Peoria. The match against the Redbirds will be broadcast in the Peoria area on 96.5 FM ESPN Radio.
