CHICAGO, Ill. – Bradley rallied late to take the fourth set and push Stony Brook to the limit, but the Seawolves hit .421 in the deciding frame to top the Braves 22-25, 25-23, 25-23, 23-25, 15-11 Saturday to conclude action at the DePaul Invitational.

Freshman Taylor Thiele (Aurora, Neb./Aurora) had a season and team-best 14 kills, while junior Jessie Tulacka (Westmont, Ill./Downers Grove North), who earned a spot on the DePaul Invitational All-Tournament team, notched 13 kills to lead Bradley (0-3 overall) in the setback. 

After falling behind 6-2 in the first set, the Braves answered with nine consecutive points (11-6) and pushed the advantage to as many as six points.  Bradley cruised to the 25-22 opening set victory, with Tulacka tallying four kills and the Braves boasting a .318 attack percentage in the first set.

The second set was close throughout and the teams were knotted at 23-23, before Stony Brook (2-1 overall) was able to pull even in the match with a 25-23 victory.  Kathy Fletcher broke the tie in favor of the Seawolves with a kill and closed the set with an ace.  Stony Brook hit a blistering .400 as a squad in the frame in addition to collecting three blocks.

Despite leading a good portion of the third set, Bradley trailed late 23-22 and eventually dropped the set 25-23 as Stony Brook took a two-sets-to-one lead.  Thiele recorded five of her season-high 14 kills in the third set. 

The fourth set featured several momentum changes, before the Braves made a late push to claim the set 25-23 and force the deciding fifth frame.  Bradley led by as many as six points (14-8), but Stony Brook responded with seven consecutive points to go in front 15-14 and the Seawolves owned a 23-20 advantage later on.  Thiele had a kill and Tulacka followed a pair of Stony Brook attack errors with her fifth kill of the set to give the Braves set point (24-23).  The freshmen combo of Jamie Livaudais (Fenton, Mo./Fenton) and Afton Sobasky (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./St. Croix Lutheran) teamed up for a block for the final point of the set for the Braves.

Early Bradley attack errors in the fifth set helped Stony Brook jump out to a 7-2 lead and the Seawolves later owned a seven-point advantage at 12-5.  The Braves couldn't catch up to a hot hitting Stony Brook team, which had a .421 hitting percentage in the final set and the Seawolves took the match with a 15-11 win.

Thiele added three aces to go with her team-high 14 kills and was one of six Braves with five or more kills.  Tulacka, who averaged 3.79 kills per set in the tournament, had 13 kills.  Sobasky came close to her first career double-double, tallying five kills, 46 assists, eight digs and two blocks. 

Fletcher was one of three Stony Brook players to reach double figures in kills, finishing with a match-high 18 kills.

Bradley returns to action Friday at the Pioneer Classic in Denver, Colo., where the Braves will open tournament play against 22nd-ranked Kansas (5:30 p.m.).