Last Week
Bradley opened a three-match homestand with a three-set loss to Creighton and followed it up with a four-set loss to Drake. Junior Rachelle Dejean averaged 4.57 digs per set in the two matches and helped the Braves to an 18.29 digs per set average in the two outings. Junior Annie Cave led BU with seven kills against Creighton, while freshman Amy Angelos paced Bradley with 12 kills Sunday against Drake.
This Week
Bradley closes out a three-match homestand Tuesday against Chicago State in the final non-conference match of the season for the Braves. Bradley holds a 10-3 lead in the all-time series after sweeping the Cougars last season in the first meeting between the two teams since 1999. BU has won eight consecutive meetings dating back to a Chicago State victory during the 1978 season. Tuesday's contest will be the sixth meeting between the two programs since the start of the 1982 season.
Ending On A High Note
Bradley has made a habit of winning the final non-conference match of the year over the years. In 27 years of conference membership, the Braves boast a 19-8 (.704) record in the final non-conference match of the season. BU will face Chicago State Tuesday in the final non-conference match of the 2010 season. The Braves are 12-3 (.800) when ending the non-conference portion of the schedule at home.
Leading The Charge
Freshman Amy Angelos tallied a team-best 12 kills Sunday against Drake, marking the seventh time this season the frosh paced Bradley in kills. Angelos is the team leader in kills with 178 and also ranks as the team leader in blocks with 54. If Angelos is able to pace the Braves in both categories she would be just the eighth player in program history to lead the team in kills and blocks in the same season and the first since Lindsay Stalzer accomplished the feat in 2004. The last underclassmen to lead BU in kills and blocks in the same year was Joy Ostendorf during her sophomore season (1994). No freshman has ever led the team in both categories. Andra Dystrup is the only other underclassmen to lead the team in both kills and blocks, doing so as a sophomore in 1987.
Hitting The Road Again
Following Tuesday's home match against Chicago State, Bradley hits the road for a pair of matches at Evansville (Friday) and at Southern Illinois (Saturday). Tuesday's home contest against Chicago State will tie the Braves with Drake for the home matches in the MVC this season at 14, but BU will close the season with four of its last seven on the road.
Dejean Eyeing 1,000th Dig
Junior Rachelle Dejean tallied a season-high 25 digs Sunday against Drake to pass Briony Hammet for 13th on the Bradley's career digs chart. Dejean enters the week with 992 career digs and needs just eight digs to become the 13th player in school history to reach the 1,000-dig mark. Stephanie Behrns was the last Bradley player to reach the 1,000-dig plateau, reaching the mark during the 2002 season.
Coming Up Aces
Sophomore Madelyn Ervin served up three more aces over the weekend to push her season total in conference matches to a team-best 16 aces. The 16 aces in league play are the most by a Bradley player since Lindsay Stalzer had 28 aces in Valley play during the 2005 season. Ervin leads the MVC with a 0.39 aces per set average and owns a conference-best 0.55 aces per set average in league games.
Renaissance Coliseum Dedicated
Bradley University dedicated its new on-campus arena during the annual homecoming festivities on Friday, Oct. 15. The name of BU's $50-million, 4,200-seat facility, Renaissance Coliseum, was announced during the dedication ceremony. While the Braves have already played 11 contests in their new home, Creighton will be the first team to visit Renaissance Coliseum since the arena was officially dedicated on Oct. 15.
Schmidt & Collins Look To Climb Kills List
Senior Melissa Collins and junior Megan Schmidt are both looking to climb Bradley's career kills list as the Braves wrap up a three-match homestand Tuesday against Chicago State. Collins, who played in the 100th match of her career Sunday against Drake, is 26th in school history with 619 career kills and needs 10 kills to pass Sandi Kasting for 25th all time. Schmidt is 30th in program history (577 kills) and needs just three kills to jump up two spots into 28th on BU's kills chart. Ange Martin is 29th all-time with 578 kills and Samantha Hardwick is 28th at 579.
Pushed To The Limit
All three sets of Bradley's match at SIU Edwardsville Oct. 10 were decided by two points, including two won by the Cougars by the score of 28-26. BU and SIUE have played tightly contested matches in all three meetings between the two programs, with the first two meetings going to a deciding fifth set. Each of the last seven sets in the series have been decided by just two points and nine of 13 sets over the last three years between the two have been decided by the minimum two points. The last time Bradley had every set in a match decided by two points was Oct. 23, 2009 at Southern Illinois and the last time two sets in the same match were extended beyond 25 points was Oct. 29, 2009 against Lehigh.
Tough Stretch
BU's match at Northern Iowa (Oct. 8) wrapped up what is arguably the toughest nine-match stretch of the season for the Braves. Bradley's nine opponents starting with the Sept. 11 contest against Valparaiso and finishing up with 14th-ranked UNI have combined for an impressive 142-57 (.714) record through Oct. 25.
Keeping It In State
Tuesday's match against Chicago State is the fifth and final non-conference contest on the schedule against in-state opponents and will be the seventh of nine matches overall against teams from the Land of Lincoln counting four Missouri Valley Conference matches against league members Southern Illinois and Illinois State. The Braves are 1-3 against in-state non-conference opponents and 1-5 overall against in-state foes. Bradley finished the 2009 season 2-2 against in-state non-conference foes and posted at least a .500 record against in-state non-conference opponents for the first time since going 3-3 in 2005. The Braves are 36-25 (.590) against in-state non-conference foes since the start of the 1995 campaign.
All-Tournament Honors
Junior Megan Schmidt was named to the all-tournament team at the CEFCU Classic after averaging 2.54 kills and 0.92 blocks per set. Schmidt tallied a career-best 16 kills to go along with seven digs and three blocks against Hofstra. She followed that with a season-best five blocks against Presbyterian and tied for team-high honors with 12 kills against Valparaiso.
Build It And They Will Come
Bradley's new $50-million Renaissance Coliseum is a hit with fans, as the Braves have drawn four of the top 20 crowds in program history through the first nine home dates in the building. In addition to drawing the largest crowd in school history for the arena opener against Western Illinois (1,752), BU has brought in the 8th-largest (754 fans vs. SEMO), 15th-largest (608 fans vs. Valparaiso) and 19th-largest (563 fans vs. Hofstra) in program history already this season. Bradley is averaging 590 fans per home match this season. The season record for average attendance is 457 set during the 1999 season.
Big Comeback Win
Bradley dropped the first two sets of it's match against Fordham on Sept. 4, before rallying to take the final three sets against the Rams. The Braves had not rallied from a two-sets-to-none deficit since rallying to top UMBC at home on Sept. 6, 2003. It marked the first time Bradley came back to win after dropping the first two sets in a road or neutral site match since rallying to beat Indiana State in Terre Haute, Ind., on Sept. 10, 1999.
What's Your 20?
Freshman Amy Angelos' 20 kills against Fordham earlier this season is the second-most by a freshman in the Missouri Valley Conference this season and highest output by a Bradley player this year. Angelos, who leads the team with a 2.22 kills per set average, is the first BU frosh to record 20 or more kills in a match since Marika Giguere accomplished the feat twice during the 2000 season. Giguere recorded 28 kills in a home match against Missouri State on Oct. 20, 2000.
Maryland Invite All-Tournament Honors
Freshman Amy Angelos and sophomore Allie Gardner were both named to the all-tournament team at the Maryland Invitational. Gardner earned all-tournament honors for the second consecutive week, while Angelos earned the distinction for the first time in her career. Angelos averaged 2.92 kills and 0.92 blocks per set, while attacking at a .295 clip during tournament play. Gardner averaged 3.25 digs per set as the duo helped Bradley to a second-place finish.
Up Next
The Braves hit the road later this week, playing matches at Evansville (Friday) and at Southern Illinois (Saturday). Bradley holds a 23-15 lead in the all-time series with Evansville, but the Purple Aces have won each of the last seven meetings; including a four-set win at Renaissance Coliseum earlier this month. Bradley is 10-7 all-time in matches played in Evansville, Ind., with BU's last win coming on Oct. 27, 2006. Southern Illinois holds a 34-14 lead in the all-time series with Bradley after topping the Braves in three sets on Oct. 1 in Peoria. The Salukis own a 10-match win streak in the series and Bradley is attempting to snap a six-match road losing streak in the series.
Welcome Home
Bradley opened Renaissance Coliseum with a sweep of Western Illinois on Aug. 27 in the season opener. The new 4,200-seat, $50-million facility sits on the former site of historic Robertson Memorial Field House and will serve as the permanent home for the Bradley volleyball and women's basketball teams. Following the demolition of the Field House after the 2007 season, the Braves played 10 of 13 home matches in 2008 at Illinois Central College's Lorene Ramsey Gym and called the Markin Family Student Recreation Center home for the 2009 campaign.
Gardner Named MVC Defensive Player of the Week
Sophomore defensive specialist/libero Allie Gardner was named the Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week for the week of Aug. 30. In her first action as the Braves' libero, she earned a spot on the all-tournament team after averaging a Valley best 5.83 digs per set in the opening weekend of play. Gardner had a then career-best 18 digs against Western Illinois in the opener and followed it with a career-high 29 digs in Saturday's five-set win against USC Upstate. The only player in the MVC to have two outings with more than 20 digs during the first week of play, she capped the week with a 23-dig effort against Southeast Missouri State. Gardner is the first BU player to garner Valley Defensive Player of the Week honors since the award was first issued in 2007 and is the first Brave to earn any MVC weekly honor since Lindsay Stalzer captured Valley Player of the Week honors three times during the 2005 season.
New Faces
Bradley had three newcomers in the starting lineup in the season opener and a total of five newcomers have started at least one match through the first 23 contests of the year. In addition, newcomers have accounted for 66 of the team's 138 starts to date. Freshmen Amy Angelos is tied with junior Megan Schmidt for the most starts on the squad with 21 and leads the team in both kills and blocks. Freshman Lauren Zerante has started 20 matches and ranks fifth on the team with 120 kills and is second on the squad in digs. The Braves have also used two newcomers at setter through the first 23 matches. Marquette transfer Shelly Mueller has started 15 matches at setter and is averaging 7.74 assists and 1.10 digs per set, while junior college transfer Jennifer Sykes is averaging 7.11 assists and 2.00 digs per set.
Can You Dig It
Junior Rachelle Dejean has led the team in digs each of the last two seasons and has a chance to become the first player since Sam Hardwick to lead the squad in digs in three consecutive years. Already owning two of the top 10 single-match dig totals in BU history, Dejean's 413 digs as a freshman ranks as the 10th best season total in program history and is eight digs from becoming the 13th player in program history to reach 1,000 career digs. She currently leads the team in digs with 233 and is averaging a team-leading 3.46 digs per set in league play.
Back-To-Back-To-Back?
Junior Megan Schmidt has led the team in blocks each of her first two seasons on The Hilltop and is looking to become the first player to lead the team in blocks in three consecutive years since Jenna Passman (2001, 2002 & 2003). Schmidt has a chance to join Passman and Sandi Kasting (1982, 1983 & 1984) as the only players in program history to lead the team in blocks in three different seasons. She is BU's active career leader in blocks with 231 and needs 68 blocks to move into Bradley's career top 10.
Hotels at Grand Prairie Invite All-Tournament Honors
Sophomores Madelyn Ervin and Allie Gardner each earned spots on the Hotels at Grand Prairie Invitational all-tournament team. Ervin led the Braves in kills in two of the three matches and averaged 2.92 kills per set to go along with her team-leading five aces. Gardner started at libero in each of the three contests and posted a Missouri Valley Conference-best 5.83 digs per set average during the opening week.
Ervin Named Scholar-Athlete of the Week
Sophomore outside hitter Madelyn Ervin was named the Bradley Country Financial Scholar-Athlete of the Week announced Aug. 31. An advertising major with a 3.78 cumulative grade point average, Ervin was named to the all-tournament team at the Hotels at Grand Prairie Invitational after helping lead Bradley to a second-place finish. She averaged a team-best 2.92 kills per set during the three matches and also boasted a team-high five aces.
What's Back
The Braves return nine of 14 letterwinners, including four starters from last year's team, but youth still prevails on BU's roster. Bradley has nine underclassmen on the roster and 10 of the 16 team members boast one or fewer years of experience at the NCAA Division I level. Despite the prevalence of youth on the squad, BU's attack for 2010 includes five of the top six in kills from 2009 and seven of the top eight attackers from the previous year. In addition, Bradley's roster features four of the top five in digs from 2009.
Braves Picked 10th In Preseason Poll
Bradley was picked to finish 10th in a preseason poll of Missouri Valley Conference coaches, receiving 16 of a possible 100 points. Defending regular-season and tournament champion Northern Iowa was a unanimous pick to defend its title, receiving all 10 first-place votes.
On The Internet
Live stats for all Bradley home matches can be found on the Bradley Athletics website (www.bradleybraves.com) under the Live Stats link located near the top of the page. A free audio stream for most home matches and pay-per-view video streams for all home matches will be available at www.bradleybraves.com.
Active Leaders
Senior Melissa Collins entered the 2010 season as Bradley's active career kills leader and is currently 26th all-time with 619 career kills. Junior Megan Schmidt is second among active players with 577 career kills (30th place) and needs three kills to move into 28th place. Junior defensive specialist Rachelle Dejean is the team's active career leader in digs with 992 and ranks 13th all-time at BU. Dejean needs eight digs to become the 13th player in program history to reach the 1,000-dig mark.
