The 2020 Kaboom! Awards, presented by RE/MAX Traders Unlimited and supported by PNC, continues today by highlighting the 2019 Bradley Volleyball season.
With a roster made up primarily of freshmen and sophomores, Bradley Volleyball finished fourth in the 2019 Missouri Valley Conference standings with the Braves closing the year 11-7 in league play. BU had back-to-back seasons with 11 or more Valley wins for just the second time in school history and first time since the 2001 & 2002 campaigns.
After the first postseason appearance in program history in 2018, Bradley went 15-15 in 2019 for the first back-to-back seasons with .500 or better records in nearly two decades. The 2019 campaign included the first regular-season sweep of I-74 rival Illinois State dating back to 2001. Sophomore
Hannah Thompson, who was the third sophomore in program history to earn First-Team All-MVC honors, teamed with Second-Team All-MVC pick
Rachel Pranger to give Bradley its first combo in program history with 340 kills and at least 375 digs.
The youthful Braves played nine five-set matches in 2019 and received over 70 percent of its kills, digs and blocks from underclassmen last fall. Thompson broke the Bradley season record with 24 double-doubles and was the only player in the nation with at least 380 kills and 550 or more digs.
Bradley has ranked in the top 11 nationally in digs per set each of the last three years with the 2019 campaign marking the second straight year the Braves were second in the country in digs per set.
The team MVP in 2019, Thompson was earned a spot CoSIDA Academic All-District V First-Team in addition to taking home First-Team MVC Scholar-Athlete honors.
The 2020 Kaboom! Awards are celebrating the year in Bradley Athletics by transitioning to a virtual presentation throughout the month of May. Each year on the final night of spring semester classes, the Bradley Department of Athletics gathers at Renaissance Coliseum for the annual Kaboom! Awards, an event modeled after the popular awards shows in the entertainment industry (Oscars, Grammys, ESPYs) and recognizes all of the graduating seniors, spotlights the team and individual achievements from throughout the year. Traditionally preceded by a red-carpet reception, the awards show is filled with video and graphic tributes, which will be presented this year through the Bradley Athletics website, BradleyBraves.com, and the department's social media accounts -- culminating with the announcement of the 67th Charles Orsborn Award May 29 and viewing of the Moments of the Year May 30.
The 2020 Kaboom! Awards continue Tuesday with the announcement of one of the four Charles Osborn award finalists.
2020 Kaboom! Awards Presentation Schedule
| Day, Date |
Feature |
Format |
| Monday, May 4 |
Men's Golf highlights |
Video |
| Tuesday, May 5 |
Charles Orsborn Award candidates |
Article |
| Wednesday, May 6 |
Women's Cross Country and Track |
Video |
| Thursday, May 7 |
Charles Orsborn Award finalist #1 - Nate Kennell |
Video |
| Friday, May 8 |
Softball highlights |
Video |
| Saturday, May 9 |
Female Individual Performance of the Year |
Video |
|
Male Individual Performance of the Year |
Video |
| Monday, May 11 |
Soccer highlights |
Video |
| Tuesday, May 12 |
Orsborn Award finalist #2 - Jake Hoffert |
Video |
| Wednesday, May 13 |
Tennis highlights |
Video |
| Thursday, May 14 |
Megan C. Fong Inspiration Award |
Video |
| Friday, May 15 |
Baseball highlights |
Video |
| Saturday, May 16 |
Graduating Class of 2020 |
Video |
| Monday, May 18 |
Volleyball highlights |
Video |
| Tuesday, May 19 |
Orsborn Award finalist #3 |
Video |
| Wednesday, May 20 |
Men's Cross Country and Track highlights |
Video |
| Thursday, May 21 |
Female Coach Joe Stowell Award |
Video |
|
Male Coach Joe Stowell Award |
Video |
| Friday, May 22 |
Women's Golf highlights |
Video |
| Saturday, May 23 |
Men's Team Performance of the Year |
Video |
|
Women's Team Performance of the Year |
Video |
| Sunday, May 24 |
Women's Basketball highlights |
Video |
| Tuesday, May 26 |
Orsborn Award finalist #4 |
Video |
| Wednesday, May 27 |
Men's Basketball highlights |
Video |
| Thursday, May 28 |
Bradley Athletics community service |
Video |
|
Carl Grose Service Award |
Video |
| Friday, May 29 |
Charles Orsborn Award |
Video |
| Saturday, May 30 |
Moments of the Year |
Video |
