Volleyball Opens Valley Play With Busy Stretch

Duane Zehr

Volleyball 9/26/2019 9:28:00 AM

PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley Volleyball opens Missouri Valley Conference play with three matches in a four-day stretch, closing out a season-long, four-match home stand by hosting Southern Illinois Friday and Missouri State Saturday at Renaissance Coliseum before a Monday afternoon match at Indiana State.

The Braves concluded the non-conference schedule with a three-set sweep of Northern Illinois Saturday in the final match of the CEFCU Classic as Bradley earned its first three-set win in the series with the Huskies.

Missouri Valley Conference matches have new start times in 2019, with Friday matches typically scheduled for a 6 p.m. first serve and Saturday contests schedule to begin at 5 p.m. (excluding the Nov. 23 home match vs. Indiana State) compared to the 7 p.m. start time for Friday and Saturday matches in previous years.

Friday's 6 p.m. match vs. Southern Illinois (8-6 overall) will be Bradley Club Team and Organization Night with Bradley Club sports and registered campus organizations invited to the contest. The Braves swept the regular-season series from the Salukis last year and have won the last three meetings between the two squads.

Saturday's 5 p.m. tilt with Missouri State (3-11 overall) will finish a season-long four-match, home stand to mark the longest home stand for Bradley since playing 10 consecutive home contests during the 2017 campaign. The Braves are 16-3 at Renaissance Coliseum since the start of 2018. Bradley won both matches against Missouri State last year for the first regular-season sweep of the series since 1999.

The Braves will play their MVC road opener Monday, traveling to Terre Haute, Ind., for a 5 p.m. (CST) match at Indiana State (2-8 overall). Bradley is looking for its road win in the series with the Sycamores dating back to 2013.

Both the Southern Illinois and Indiana State match will be available on ESPN3, while Saturday's contest vs. Missouri State can be viewed on ESPN+. BradleyBraves.com will provide links to live stats for all three contests.

Bradley will open Missouri Valley Conference play against Southern Illinois for the third consecutive year after sweeping the Salukis in Carbondale, Ill., to open the 2018 league slate. Overall, the Braves will be meeting SIU in the conference opener for the fourth time (2001, 2017, 2018 & 2019) and BU is 2-1 all-time when facing the Salukis in the first conference match. The Braves are 17-19 in MVC openers, which includes a 9-10 record when starting Valley play at home.

Sophomore Hannah Thompson turned in a pair of double-doubles at the 2019 CEFCU Classic, pushing her streak of consecutive double-doubles to nine. She had 14 kills and matched a season-best 26 digs Friday against South Dakota only to follow it up with 13 kills and 16 digs in a sweep of Northern Illinois Saturday. Thompson is the first Brave to have a streak of nine consecutive double-doubles since Bradley Hall of Famer Samantha Hardwick notched double-doubles in the final seven matches of 2000 and first two contests of 2001. Hardwick also had a streak of 12 consecutive double-doubles during the 2000 campaign. The only player to rank in the top 10 in the MVC in both kills and digs, Thompson is averaging team highs of 3.29 kills and 4.83 digs per set.

Sophomore Rachel Pranger continues to put in strong efforts, with the outside hitter earning all-tournament honors for the second consecutive weekend at last weekend's CEFCU Classic. Pranger averaged a team-high 4.71 kills per set at the CEFCU Classic and has notched 10 or more kills in four consecutive outings. Currently second on the team at 3.08 kills per set, Pranger has averaged 3.88 kills and 3.81 digs per set over the last four contests and tied a career-best with 19 kills in the Sept. 20 match against South Dakota. She has 10 or more kills in six contests, including six of the last nine outings, after having four performances of 10+ kills as a freshman.

Saturday's home match against Northern Illinois was Bradley's annual Cram the Coliseum event which drew the fifth largest crowd (1,122) in Renaissance Coliseum history. The five Cram the Coliseum events have resulted in five of the six largest crowds in Renaissance Coliseum history with the lone exception being the first match played at Renaissance Coliseum in 2010.

Bradley follows Monday's road match at Indiana State by playing its fifth home match in six outings when the Braves host I-74 rival Illinois State Friday, Oct. 4 (6 p.m.) at Renaissance Coliseum.

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Players Mentioned

#21 Rachel Pranger: OH; 5' 11"; Sophomore

#6 Hannah Thompson: OH; 5' 8"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#21 Rachel Pranger
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: OH

#6 Hannah Thompson
: 5' 8"; Sophomore
: OH

Volleyball Opens Valley Play With Busy Stretch

Players Mentioned

#21 Rachel Pranger

#6 Hannah Thompson

Players Mentioned

#21 Rachel Pranger

#6 Hannah Thompson