Last Week
Bradley opened the final homestand of the 2010 season with a 25-16, 25-14, 25-21 home loss to 13th-ranked Northern Iowa Friday. Freshman Amy Angelos tallied 10 kills and junior Megan Schmidt found the floor with seven kills and hit .300 in the loss. Junior Annie Cave helped highlight the Braves' defensive efforts with 13 digs.
This Week
The Braves will play the final two home matches of the 2010 campaign this week, hosting I-74 rival Illinois State Thursday before closing out the home slate Saturday against Indiana State. Illinois State owns a 53-12 lead in the all-time series and the Redbirds have won 15 consecutive matches against the Braves. BU is 33-22 all-time against Indiana State, but the Sycamores have won each of the last three meetings and four of the last five overall. Bradley is 18-6 in home matches in the series with Indiana State.
Final Homestand
Bradley will play the final home matches of the 2010 season this week, wrapping up a three-match homestand with contests against I-74 rival Illinois State (Thursday), before hosting Indiana State (Saturday) in the final home match of the year. The Braves play the final two matches of the 2010 season on the road.
Senior Night
Seniors Melissa Collins and Caitlin Staib will play the final home matches of their career Saturday against Indiana State and the duo will be recognized prior to the match against the Sycamores. The pair were both freshman during the 2007 season and were part of the last Bradley team to call Robertson Memorial Field House home. Collins ranks as the Braves active career kills leader (26th all time at BU) with 620 kills in 102 career matches. Staib is the most experienced Brave on the roster, having appeared in 107 matches in her time on The Hilltop and needs 12 kills to reach 500 in her career. Bradley is 13-15 all-time on Senior Night since the start of the 1982 season. BU has faced Indiana State in the final home match of the season just once, sweeping the Sycamores at home to conclude the 1999 season.
Freshmen Making Impact
Freshman Amy Angelos is looking to become the first freshman in program history to lead the team in kills. She enters the last four matches with a team-best 215 kills which ranks as the 12th best total by a frosh in program history and needs just 12 kills to post the highest kill total by a Bradley frosh since Lindsay Stalzer in 2002 (259). On the defensive front, freshman Lauren Zerante enters the final two weeks of the season with 229 digs. She needs 10 digs to move into BU's top 10 freshman dig totals.
Schmidt Looking To Pass Collins
Junior Megan Schmidt is closing in on taking over the role as Bradley's active career kills leader, needing just six kills to catch senior Melissa Collins. Schmidt is 27th in school history with 615 career kills, while Collins is 26th all-time with 620 kills. Both are close to moving into the top 25 as Sandi Kasting is currently 25th in school history with 628 kills.
Ranked Opponent
Northern Iowa was the first nationally ranked team to visit Renaissance Coliseum Friday when the Panthers topped Bradley in three sets. Bradley's last home match against a ranked team was Nov. 14, 2008 when 11th-ranked Wichita State visited the Markin Family Student Recreation Center. Since the start of the 1998 season, BU has played 24 matches against ranked teams and is 2-22 in those matchups, with both of Bradley's victories against ranked squads coming at home against a ranked UNI team. The Braves last victory against a ranked team was Sept. 28, 2002 when BU upset then 7th-ranked Northern Iowa in four sets at Robertson Memorial Field House.
3 X 300
Junior Rachelle Dejean recorded her 300th dig of the season Friday against 13th-ranked Northern Iowa to become just the fifth player in program history with three seasons of 300 or more digs. Dejean is the first BU player to post three 300+-dig seasons since Samantha Hardwick (1998-2001). Joining Dejean and Hardwick (1,329 digs) in the elite group are the Braves career digs leader Jenny Pavlas (1,361 digs - 1993-97), Cindy Novak (1,346 digs - 1992-95) and Blythe Zajakowski (1,175 digs - 1988-91). Dejean ranks 12th in school history with 1060 digs and needs 46 digs to move into 10th on Bradley's career list.
Ending On A High Note
Bradley has made a habit of winning the final non-conference match of the season and this year was no different with BU sweeping Chicago State to close out the non-conference portion of the schedule. In 28 years of conference membership, the Braves boast a 20-8 (.714) record in the final non-conference match of the season. BU is an impressive 13-3 (.813) when ending the non-conference portion of the schedule at home.
Braves Pick Up First Valley Win
Bradley picked up its first Missouri Valley Conference victory of the season Friday at Evansville, topping the Purple Aces in four sets. The win was BU's first conference road victory since topping Indiana State on Oct. 6, 2007 and improved the Braves to 11-7 in road matches against Evansville.
Dejean Named BU Scholar-Athlete of the Week
Junior Rachelle Dejean was named the Bradley Country Financial Scholar-Athlete of the Week for the week of Nov. 3 after helping Bradley to a 2-1 record. She averaged 5.09 digs per set in three outings during the week, beginning with a 13-dig effort against Chicago State as she became the 13th player in program history to record 1,000 career digs. In a match at Evansville, Dejean collected 23 digs in four sets to help BU to its first Missouri Valley Conference win of the season and first Valley road victory since Oct. 6, 2007. She capped the week with 20 digs at Southern Illinois and moved into 12th on Bradley's career digs chart. An advertising major, Dejean owns a 3.71 cumulative grade point average.
Offensive Showcase
The Braves hit a season-best .337 and served up a season-high nine aces in the non-conference finale against Chicago State. The nine aces were the most for BU since tallying nine aces against Montana State Sept. 12, 2009 and the .337 attack percentage was Bradley's most efficient attacking outing since posting a .368 hitting percentage against Coppin State Sept. 5, 2009.
Coming Up Aces
Sophomore Madelyn Ervin has pushed her team-leading ace total to 32 and is averaging 0.59 aces per set over the last eight matches. For the season, Ervin boasts a Missouri Valley Conference best 0.42 aces per set. She has 22 aces in Valley play and is averaging 0.55 aces per set in league play. Ervin's 22 aces in Valley play are the most by a BU player in MVC action since Lindsay Stalzer had 28 aces during the 2005 season.
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 159-75 (.679) record through Nov. 8.
Keeping It In State
Bradley's match against Chicago State was the fifth and final non-conference contest on the schedule against in-state opponents and Bradley has played eight of its nine matches against teams from the Land of Lincoln counting four MVC matches against league members Southern Illinois and Illinois State. The Braves are 2-3 against in-state non-conference opponents and 2-6 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 37-25 (.597) 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 522 fans per home match this season. With two home matches remaining the Braves have surpassed the previous school record for average attendance. BU's previous season-best average was 457 fans per home match 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 2.29 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
Bradley finished up the 2010 season with a pair of road matches next week, playing a Friday match at Missouri State before wrapping up the season Saturday at Wichita State. Missouri State holds a 40-8 lead in the all-time series after topping the Braves in five sets earlier this season. The Braves have won each of the last three meetings in the series and 19 of the last 20 overall. Wichita State holds a 30-18 lead in the all-time series with BU and the Shockers have won 15 consecutive matches against the Braves. WSU swept the first meeting between the two teams earlier this season in Peoria.
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 27 contests of the year. In addition, newcomers have accounted for 78 of the team's 162 starts to date. Freshmen Amy Angelos is tied with junior Megan Schmidt for the most starts on the squad with 25 and leads the team in kills while ranking second blocks. Freshman Lauren Zerante has started 24 matches and ranks fourth on the team with 149 kills and is third on the squad in both digs and aces. The Braves have also used two newcomers at setter through the first 27 matches. Marquette transfer Shelly Mueller has started 19 matches at setter and is averaging 8.20 assists and 1.28 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 she has moved into 12th on Bradley's career digs list. Dejean currently leads the team in digs with 301 and is averaging a team-leading 3.80 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 242 and needs 57 blocks to move into Bradley's career top 10. Schmidt has a team-best 63 blocks on the season, but has just a one block lead on freshman Amy Angelos (62 blocks).
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 608 career kills (27th place) and needs 21 kills to move up two spots into 25th. On the defensive side, junior defensive specialist Rachelle Dejean is the team's active career leader in digs with 1,048 and needs 14 digs to overtake Lisa LaMontagne for 11th all-time. Dejean needs 58 digs to crack BU's career top 10.
