Bradley University Athletics

Volleyball Hosts Illinois State In Home Opener Monday

Evan Temchin

Volleyball 1/29/2021 2:13:00 PM

PEORIA, Ill. – Bradley Volleyball will have a chance to avenge a season-opening loss to I-74 rival Illinois State when the Braves host the Redbirds Monday in a 6 p.m. match in the team's 2020-21 home opener.

The two teams met Monday in Bradley's season opener with Illinois State (2-1 overall, 1-0 MVC) taking the contest in three sets. The Redbirds are 2-1 overall heading into a weekend home series against Cincinnati.

Monday's 6 p.m. rematch at Renaissance Coliseum, which wraps up the annual I-74 series, will be available on ESPN+.

Bradley has won its home opener each of the past two years and the Braves are 20-18 in home openers since the start of the 1982 season. Splitting the 10 previous home openers played at Renaissance Coliseum, Bradley will be playing a Missouri Valley Conference opponent in the home opener for the first time since 2016 (SIU). The Braves have never faced Illinois State in its home opener and are 2-5 all-time when playing a conference match to open the home slate. The last time Bradley beat a Valley opponent in a home opener was 1999 (Drake).

While the 2020-21 Bradley Volleyball schedule consists of nine sets of back-to-back games against each MVC opponent, Monday's rematch with Illinois State will be the first back-to-back matches against the same opponent for the Braves in nearly a decade. The last time Bradley faced the same opponent in consecutive outings was a pair of home matches against Omaha to start the 2011 season.

Junior Hannah Thompson picked up right where she left off in 2019, notching a double-double (11 kills & 15 digs) in the season opener at Illinois State. Thompson, who had a Bradley season record 24 double-doubles last year, turned in her 45th career double-double, which is fourth-most in school history. Thompson has posted double-doubles in four of her five career outings against the Redbirds, averaging 3.05 kills and 4.55 digs per set in those matches. Her 91 career digs vs. Illinois State is 14 short of breaking the Bradley career mark in the series of 104 held by Amelie Rodrigue (1999-02).

Bradley follows up Monday's home match with a two-game series at Drake Feb. 7 & 8 in Des Moines, Iowa.

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Players Mentioned

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

Players Mentioned

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

Volleyball Hosts Illinois State In Home Opener Monday

Players Mentioned

#6 Hannah Thompson

Players Mentioned

#6 Hannah Thompson