PEORIA, Ill. – Bradley Volleyball will make the second postseason appearance in program history with Sunday night's announcement that the Braves will face Chicago State in the first round of the 2021 National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC).
 
Tying for third in the Missouri Valley Conference standings, Bradley (16-14 overall) is one of four Valley teams in the NIVC field, with the Braves playing at Chicago State (17-10 overall) Thursday, Dec. 2 in a 7:30 p.m. first-round contest.  The winner of Thursday's matchup between Bradley and Chicago State will face either Sam Houston or Evansville Friday at 7 p.m. at Chicago State's Jones Convocation Center.
 
The postseason appearance is the second in program history with Bradley also participating in the NIVC in 2018.  The Braves topped Bowling Green in five sets in the first round of the 2018 event in Ames, Iowa, before falling to eventual champion Iowa State in the second round. 
 
Bradley holds an 11-4 lead in the all-time series with Chicago State with Thursday's matchup marking the first meeting with the Cougars since 2017.  Chicago State won that 2017 contest to snap a nine-match Bradley win streak in the series.  The Braves last match at Chicago State fell during the 1999 season, with the Braves hosting the last three meetings against the Cougars.