Box Score
PEORIA, Ill. - After Bradley dropped the opening two sets to Evansville, senior Melissa Collins (Manchester, Mo./Parkway South) and junior Annie Cave (Easton, Ill./Illini Central) helped power the Braves to a 25-23 third-set win; but the Purple Aces took the fourth set to top BU 25-19, 25-22, 23-25, 25-14 in Missouri Valley Conference volleyball action Saturday.
Collins recorded seven of her season and match-high 16 kills in the third frame to help pace the Braves. Cave did not see action until the third set, but tallied four of her seven kills on the night to highlight the 25-23 third-set victory for BU. Despite hitting .343 in the third set, Bradley (4-13 overall, 0-6 MVC) needed a late push to avoid the sweep by the Purple Aces. With the score knotted at 23-23, Collins found the floor with back-to-back kills (her sixth of the seventh of the set) to close out a 25-23 BU victory.
Evansville (14-3 overall, 3-2 MVC) took control of the fourth set midway through, using an 8-0 run highlighted by three Brooke Maher kills to build a 15-9 lead. The Braves fought back to within three points at 16-13, but the Purple Aces answered with a decisive 9-1 run to take the fourth set 25-14.
In the opening set, UE led 15-14 when the Aces used a 6-2 spurt to go in front 21-16. Bradley pulled back to within three points (22-19), before Evansville claimed the opening set 25-19.
The second featured five lead changes and 15 ties, but the Purple Aces used a late push to take the frame. The Braves held a 21-20 lead when four consecutive BU attack errors put Evansville in front 24-21. Senior Caitlin Staib (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) ended the Aces' run with a kill, but UE's Kaisi Nixon capped a 25-22 Evansville win with her sixth kill of the set and help Evansville to a two set-to-none lead.
Collins attacked at a .414 clip and finished with a match and season-high 16 kills. The 16 kills were the most for Collins since posting a career-high 19 kills at Indiana State (Sept. 26, 2008) and moved her into 26th on Bradley's career kills list with 610. Junior Megan Schmidt (Bloomington, Ill./Central Catholic) added 13 kills, while boasting a .458 attack percentage and Cave finished with seven kills and seven digs in just two sets of play. Sophomore setter Shelly Mueller (Mount Prospect, Ill./John Hersey/Marquette) notched season highs of 51 assists, three aces and eight digs in the loss.
Brooke Maher led Evansville with a double-double (13 kills and 18 digs) and was one of three UE players to reach double figures in kills. Nixon added 12 kills and Hannah Wilson was also in double figures with 10 kills. Katie Klages led the Purple Aces defensive efforts with a match-high 25 digs.
Bradley opens a season-long, four-match road swing Friday at preseason Valley favorite and 15th-ranked Northern Iowa. First serve in Cedar Falls, Iowa, is 7 p.m.
