CHICAGO, Ill. – Junior Jessie Tulacka (Westmont, Ill./Downers Grove North) notched a career-high 21 kills, including six in the first set, but Hampton rallied to edge Bradley 24-26, 25-13, 25-17. 21-25, 15-13 Friday in the season opener for both teams at the DePaul Invitational.

Bradley (0-1 overall) got off to a strong start, hitting .323 in the opening set and Tulacka tallied six of her career-best 21 kills to help power the Braves to a 26-24 win in a set which featured 11 ties and five lead changes.  Freshman Taylor Thiele (Aurora, Neb./Aurora) broke a 24-24 tie with a kill and junior Lea Sack (Lincoln, Neb./Pius X) closed the set with Bradley's fourth ace of the opening frame.

Defending MEAC champion Hampton (1-0 overall) jumped out to an early 6-1 lead in the second set and the Pirates pulled even in the match with a 25-13 victory.

Thiele highlighted Bradley's offensive attack in the third set with six kills, but Hampton hit a blistering .480 in the frame and took a two-sets-to-one lead with a 25-17 win.  The Braves were even at 13-13 before a 6-0 Hampton run opened a decisive11-2 spurt for the Pirates.

Bradley's offense came alive in the fourth set with a .324 attack percentage and junior Kristi Chynoweth (Parkland, Fla./North Broward) found the floor with five of her six kills during the frame.  Tulacka added five kills of her own on just eight swings as the Braves pulled away down the stretch for a 25-21 win to force a fifth set.

In the deciding set, Bradley trailed 13-10 before squaring the score at 13-13 after a Chynoweth kill and a pair of Hampton attack errors.  Vendula Strakova, who was the 2013 MEAC Player of the Year and ranked second in the nation in kills last season, answered with one of her match-high 25 kills to give the Pirates a 14-13 lead.  A Bradley attack error sealed the 15-13 set win and match for Hampton.

Tulacka had a career-high 21 kills to lead Bradley and was joined in double figures by Thiele with 12 kills.  Sack had a team-best 11 digs to pace the Braves. 

Bradley returns to action Saturday at the DePaul Invitational, facing tournament host DePaul at noon and Stony Brook at 4:30 p.m.