EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Junior Jessie Tulacka (Westmont, Ill./Downers Grove North) returned to the floor after missing 10 matches due to injury to tie senior Madison Kamp (Orland Park, Ill./Chicago Christian) for team high honors with 13 kills, but Bradley fell at Evansville 22-25, 17-25, 38-40 Friday at the Carson Center.

Despite missing the previous 10 matches with an injury, Tulacka was back in the lineup and had an immediate impact with six kills on just 11 swings in the opening set.  She was one of three Bradley players to reach double figures in kills, tying Kamp with a team-high 13 kills, while freshman Taylor Thiele (Aurora, Neb./Aurora) added 10 kills of her own.

Evansville (5-11 overall, 1-3 MVC) tallied four blocks in a 25-22 opening set victory, with Ashley Ring collecting four kills and a pair of blocks.  Bradley (0-15 overall, 0-5 MVC) pulled even at 22-22 on Thiele's fourth kill of the first stanza, before the Purple Aces answered with a kill and held set point after a BU attack error.  Genesis Miranda and Cathy Schreiber combined for a block to seal the 25-22 win for UE.

A 6-2 Evansville spurt early in the second set gave the Purple Aces a 13-7 lead.  Bradley trimmed the UE lead to four points at 15-11 on a Thiele kill, but the Braves got no closer down the stretch as Evansville took a two-sets-to-none lead with a 25-17 victory. 

Bradley was on the verge of forcing a fourth set, holding set point at 24-19 after a UE attack error.  Evansville wouldn't go away and responded with six consecutive points, however, to go in front 25-24.  The Braves fought off five match points and held seven set points of their own before the Purple Aces took a 39-38 lead on a Ring kill.  Bradley wasn't able to hold off a sixth match point as UE completed the sweep with a 40-38 third-set win.

The 38 points were the most Bradley had scored in a set since the 25-point set format came into use in 2008 and were the most in a frame by the Braves since a 40-38 win in the opening set against Wichita State in the 2002 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.

Kamp had eight of her career-best 13 kills in the third set and matched Tulacka for team-high honors with 13 kills.  Tulacka hit an impressive .393 in the setback to help pace the Braves.  In addition to Tulacka's return to the lineup, sophomore Kelsey Cave (Solon, Iowa/Solon) returned from an injury which had sidelined her for the last four matches to collect six kills and three blocks. 

Ring and Miranda tied for match-high honors with 18 kills each to lead Evansville and were the only Purple Aces tally more than four kills.  Ring added 13 digs and six blocks.

Bradley returns to action Saturday, playing a 3 p.m. match at Southern Illinois.