MOREHEAD, Ky. – After dropping the opening set to St. Francis (N.Y.), Bradley Volleyball rallied for a 23-25, 25-18, 25-20, 25-22 victory over the Terriers Saturday morning to conclude play at the season-opening Eagle Challenge.
Freshman Hannah Thompson had a match-high 19 kills and nine digs to finish one dig short of a second straight double-double. Senior Erica Haslag added 18 kills of her own and hit at a .351 clip as she moved into a tie with Stephanie Behrns for sixth in career kills at Bradley at 1,194. Both Thompson (3.67 kills per set) and Haslag (4.08 kills per set) were named to the Eagle Challenge All-Tournament team. Junior Hannah Angeli made her first start of the season and setter responded with 47 assists, 13 digs and five blocks to help lead the Braves.
Haslag carried Bradley offensively in the first set, notching six of her 18 kills in the opener. In a set which featured 10 ties and three lead changes, the score was knotted at 19-19 when St. Francis went in front 22-19 with a 3-0 spurt. Trailing 24-20, the Braves fought off three set points with a Haslag kill, Angeli block and Abby Ihrke service ace to pull within one at 24-23. Ally Speweik answered with a kill for the Terriers on the next point, however, as St. Francis held on 25-23.
Bradley hit .368 as a team in the second set, thanks in part to Thompson's eight second-set kills. Thompson did not have an error in the second on 17 swings as she helped power the Braves to a 25-18 win to even the match at one set each. With Bradley holding on to a 19-17 advantage, junior Maggie Revell sparked a 5-0 BU run with a kill. Thompson followed a Yavianliz Rosado ace with back-to-back kills and freshman Lilly Johnson had a kill of her own to give the Braves a 24-17 edge. Johnson chased a St. Francis kill with her second of the set to cap the 25-18 Bradley victory.
Another late push in the third set would lead to a 25-20 Bradley win. Junior Kathryn Graf broke a 20-20 tie with one of her four third-set kills. Haslag added another kill and BU's lead was 23-20 after a Terrier error. Another Graf kill gave the Braves set point (24-20) and Thompson sealed the Bradley win with her fourth kill of the set.
The Braves led by three points late in the fourth set (20-17), but had to hold off a St. Francis rally. The Terriers pulled within one a couple times down the stretch with the last coming at 23-22. Bradley held match point at 24-22 on Thompson's 19th kill of the day and sixth of the set. Graf and Johnson turned back a St. Francis attack with the 11th Bradley block of the match to close out the 25-22 win to finish off the four-set BU victory.
Senior Hanna Alexander served up a career-high four aces to go with her nine digs. Rosado led the Braves with a team-high 18 digs and was one of three Braves with more than 10 digs.
Bradley will play six of the next nine matches at home, opening the stretch by hosting Western Illinois Friday at 6 p.m. as part of the CEFCU Invitational which will be held Aug. 31 & Sept. 1.
