Bradley BRAD 13-13 (9-6 MVC)

Loyola LUC 20-8 (13-2 MVC)

Bradley BRAD

13-13 (9-6 MVC)

Final

Nov. 15, 2019

Loyola LUC

20-8 (13-2 MVC)

Set Scores
Team	1	2	3	4	5	F
Bradley BRAD	25	17	17	25	8	(2)
Loyola LUC	20	25	25	23	15	(3)

Box Score

Duane Zehr

Braves Drop Five-Setter At Loyola

Box Score

Game Recap: Volleyball | 11/15/2019 9:05:00 PM

CHICAGO, Ill. – Bradley Volleyball went to a deciding fifth set for the fifth time in the last seven outings, but second-place Loyola was able to hold off the Braves for a 20-25, 25-17, 25-17, 23-25, 15-8 victory Friday at Gentile Arena despite double-doubles from sophomores Hannah Thompson and Rachel Pranger.

Thompson and Pranger each had 15 kills to pace Bradley (13-13 overall, 9-6 MVC) offensively, while junior Sara Maddox added 10 kills to join the duo in double figures. Turning in her 21^st double-double of the year, Thompson added 15 digs to go with four blocks. Pranger had a double-double of her own, adding 14 digs for her 12^th double-double of the year.

Despite the loss, Bradley locked up a spot in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament which will be held later this month in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The Braves dropped into a tie for third in the MVC standings with I-74 rival Illinois State with three matches to play in the regular season. Loyola (20-8 overall, 13-2 MVC) locked up one of the top two finish in the Valley standings with the victory and a spot in the MVC Tournament semifinals.

Thompson's 21 double-doubles are the fifth most in school history in a season and she pushed her season dig total to 481, which ranks 10^th among BU season marks. She joins former teammate Yavianliz Rosado as the only players to have two of the top 10 season dig totals in Bradley history. In addition, Thompson became the 18^th player in school history to reach 1,000 career digs along with topping 700 career kills in Friday's outing against Loyola.

In the first set, Bradley led from wire-to-wire, jumping out to a 5-1 lead and never looking back. Pranger had a pair of kills during Bradley's opening spurt and finished with four kills and five digs to help highlight a 25-20 BU victory. The Bradley lead never dipped below three, with the Braves blowing things open with a 4-0 run which pushed a three-point advantage to 18-11. Maddox and freshman Raeann Bergman had a pair of blocks during the decisive spurt and Pranger later closed the 25-20 victory with an ace.

Loyola managed to even the match with a 25-17 win in the second. Thompson, who had six kills and no errors in the second, pulled Bradley within three points at 16-13 with a kill, only to have the Ramblers score the next four points. The Braves got no closer than five points down the stretch as Loyola took the frame 25-17.

The third set saw Loyola jump out to a 7-2 advantage to force an early Bradley timeout. The Braves managed to stay within striking distance, trailing 13-11 after another Thompson kill. Three straight Loyola points would put the Ramblers in front 16-11, however, and another 5-0 run later in the stanza would help Loyola take the set 25-17.

Bradley had to rally from behind in the fourth to force a fifth set. The Braves were hot early in the fourth, building a 10-4 lead behind a pair of blocks and a kill from Bergman. Loyola was able to chip away at the BU advantage, eventually pulling even at 19-19. Bradley led 20-19 following a Rambler error, before Loyola rattled off four consecutive points to go in front 23-20. Thompson stopped the Rambler run with a kill and Loyola's lead was 23-22 after a Bergman kill. Freshman Serena Sparks knotted the score at 23-23 with an ace out of a Rambler timeout. A Maddox kill put Bradley back in front 24-23 and Thompson capped a 25-23 BU win with her 13^th kill of the night.

Loyola had its best offensive set of the night in the fifth, hitting .353. The Ramblers took control early, building a 5-2 lead and eventually pushed the advantage to as many as six points at 9-3. Back-to-back Pranger kills cut the deficit to four, but Bradley got no closer down the stretch as Loyola took the fifth set 15-8 to complete the season sweep of the series.

Quinn Spieker led Loyola with 16 kills and also had 16 digs to pace three Ramblers in double figures in both categories.

Senior setter Hannah Angeli moved into fifth in career assists at Bradley, passing Sam Black and now has 2,869 assists.

Bradley plays the final road match of the regular season Saturday, taking on Valparaiso in a 5 p.m. contest in Valparaiso, Ind.

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