Bradley University Athletics

Volleyball Falls To SMU To Open 2019 Campaign

Duane Zehr

Box Score

Volleyball 8/30/2019 4:12:00 PM

Box Score DALLAS, Texas - Sophomores Rachel Pranger and Hannah Thompson each notched nine kills to pace Bradley offensively, but tournament-host SMU hit .284 as a team and went on to post a 25-23, 25-17, 25-18 victory behind a match-high 16 kills from Hannah Jacobs Friday during the opening day of action at the Doubletree Invitational.

Pranger tallied five of her nine kills in the opening set, while Thompson finished one kill short of a double-double (nine kills & 10 digs) after she recorded 20 during her MVC Freshman of the Year campaign in 2018. Sophomores Hailey Delacher and Kat Poore paced the Bradley defense with 11 digs each, as Delacher finished with 11 assists and a career-high 11 digs for her first career double-double.

In the first set, SMU (1-0 overall) broke an 18-18 tie with a 3-0 spurt only to have Bradley (0-1 overall) eventually pull within one at 22-21 on a Sara Maddox kill and block by the combination of Lida Katanou and Maggie Revell. After SMU pushed the lead back to two points at 23-21, Thompson found the floor with a kill to cut the deficit to one (23-22). With the Mustangs holding set point at 24-22, the Braves got a point via a service error, before Kaylyn Winkler capped a 25-23 SMU victory with a kill.

SMU jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the second set and pushed the advantage to 10-4 before a Bradley timeout. The Braves scored the first two points after the break, but couldn't keep pace with a Mustang squad which hit .359 in the frame as SMU went on to take the second set 25-17.

Thompson highlighted an early 4-0 Bradley spurt in the third, which gave the Braves a quick 5-2 edge. SMU rallied to go in front 10-9, however, before another BU run. Back-to-back kills by Poore and Revell along with a Delacher ace during a 4-0 Bradley spurt once again put the Braves in front 13-10. SMU's Meryn Kennedy keyed a 10-1 run for the Mustangs with four kills and a block to help her squad grab a 20-14 lead. SMU went on complete the sweep with a 25-18 third-set victory.

Bradley continues play at the Doubletree Invitational later this afternoon with a 5 p.m. match against Stephen F. Austin.

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