Volleyball Kicks Off Five-Match Homestand

Josh Schwam

Volleyball 10/14/2021 1:30:00 PM

PEORIA, Ill. -- Currently tied for second in the Missouri Valley Conference, Bradley Volleyball returns to Renaissance Coliseum this weekend with the Braves opening a season-long, five-match homestand with three matches in a four-day stretch.

Bradley (8-9 overall, 4-2 MVC) opens the homestand Friday with a 6 p.m. match against Valparaiso (13-4 overall, 4-2 MVC) in a battle for sole-possession of second place in the MVC standings. All Bradley students in attendance will receive a coupon for a free Papa John's Papadia as part of Free Food Fridays presented by Papa John's.

The homestand continues Saturday with a 5 p.m. matchup against league-leading Loyola (13-5 overall, 6-0 MVC) for BU's annual Cancer Awareness Match. Both Friday's and Saturday's matches will be available on ESPN3.

The Braves will play three matches in four days with BU hosting I-74 rival Illinois State (7-11 overall, 3-3 MVC) Monday in a 7 p.m. contest at Renaissance Coliseum that can be viewed on ESPN+. Monday is Faculty/Staff Appreciation night with Bradley faculty and staff in attendance recognized during the match. In addition, the first 200 Bradley students in attendance will receive a free t-shirt.

The only other time the Braves had five consecutive conference matches at home was 1985, but that stretch included a non-conference road contest. Bradley is 12-1 at Renaissance Coliseum in its last 13 Valley home outings and the Braves are 24-5 at home against conference foes since 2018. Overall, Bradley has won a combined 40 league contests over the last four seasons, making this year's seniors class just the fourth in program history to win as many as 40 Valley matches. The Braves need just one more Valley win to join the 2002 squad (47) as the only Bradley senior classes to earn more than 40 conference wins.

The Braves are 4-2 to start league play for the third time in the last four years, but just the third time in the last 16 seasons. Overall, BU has opened conference action 4-2 or better nine previous times, with the Braves going on to earn a share of fourth or better seven of those nine seasons.

Bradley is 35-11 (.761) in the last 46 outings at Renaissance Coliseum. The Braves have won at least 35 home matches in a four-year period four previous times, including last year (38-21), but the .761 home winning percentage would be the second highest in a four-year stretch in school history behind only the 2002 senior class that went a combined 42-13 (.764) at home between 1999 and 2002. The only other senior class to win at least 70 percent of its home matches was 2001 (35-15). The Braves have seven home matches remaining on the 2021 schedule.

Senior Hannah Thompson turned in her 11th double-double of the year in Saturday's win at Indiana State (12 kills & 22 digs), notching the 69th double-double of her career to tie the Bradley career mark shared by Samantha Hardwick (1998-01) and Jenny Pavlas (1993-97). Thompson, who collected her 1,200th-career kill against Indiana State, ranks 29th in MVC history with 1,657 career digs and is just the third player in MVC history since rally scoring was introduced to collect 1,200 career kills and 1,600 or more digs. With Friday's contest against Valparaiso marking her 100th career match, Thompson has reached double figures in kills in 77 outings, which ranks as the fourth most for the Braves since 1992. She has collected 10 or more digs in 87 of 99 career contests.

Following Monday's match against Illinois State, Bradley continues the five-match homestand Friday, Oct. 22 with a 6 p.m. contest against Drake.

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Players Mentioned

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

Players Mentioned

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

Volleyball Kicks Off Five-Match Homestand

Players Mentioned

#6 Hannah Thompson

Players Mentioned

#6 Hannah Thompson