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Evansville UE 17-8, 7-7 MVC
3
Winner Bradley BRAD 15-11, 11-4 MVC
Evansville UE
17-8, 7-7 MVC
1
Final
3
Bradley BRAD
15-11, 11-4 MVC
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Evansville UE 24 13 27 21 (1)
Bradley BRAD 26 25 25 25 (3)
Seniors with Team on Senior Night

Senior Day Win Moves Braves Into Tie For Second

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Game Recap: Volleyball |
PEORIA, Ill. – A balanced attack that included the second triple-double of the season from senior Kora Kauling and a double-double from senior Hannah Thompson (12 kills & 14 digs) helped power Bradley Volleyball to a 26-24, 25-13, 25-27, 25-21 victory over Evansville Saturday afternoon at Renaissance Coliseum to close out the home schedule. 
 
The victory moved Bradley (15-11 overall, 11-4 MVC) into a tie for second in the Missouri Valley Conference standings with I-74 rival Illinois State and within one game in the win column of league-leading Loyola as the Braves extended their season-long win streak to six matches. 
 
The Braves are 11-4 or better to start Valley play for the second straight year and fourth time overall (also in 2001 & 1999).  The six-match MVC win streak matches the longest single-season conference win streak in school history, last accomplished in 2020-21, and is tied for the third longest overall league win streak in program history behind a 12-match streak between 2001 & 2002 and seven-match streak from 2004 into 2005. 
 
In addition, Bradley has now won a combined 47 Missouri Valley Conference matches over the last four seasons to match the school record for league wins in a four-year stretch (1999-02), with three regular-season contests to play.
 
Kauling, who notched Bradley's first triple-double since 2003 just two weeks ago, turned in her second triple-double of the year and is the first Brave with multiple triple-doubles in a season dating back to Samantha Hardwick during the 2000 campaign.  Kauling closed the night with 10 kills, 27 assists, 12 digs and a pair of aces to help highlight the victory.
 
Thompson finished with a team-best 12 kills and added 14 digs for the 74th double-double of her career.  Collecting her 1,300 career kill early in the first set, she also picked up her 1,800th career dig in the match and is now the third player in MVC history to reach both marks.  Joining Evansville's Julie Groves (1997-2000) and Chris Rehor of Illinois State (1985-88) in the exclusive group, Thompson is the first individual in the nation with 1,300 career kills and 1,800 digs since 2003.
 
Five Braves finished with eight or more kills on the night, with junior Raeann Bergman hitting .476 and finishing with 11 kills.  Fellow junior Karagan Coggin had a match-high five blocks to go with eight kills, while freshman Silan Demirkol closed the night with eight kills and 13 digs. 
 
Bradley jumped out front early in the first set, but Evansville (17-8 overall, 7-7 MVC) managed to hang around and the Aces eventually led 20-19.  The score was knotted at 23-23 when an Evansville error gave the Braves set point (24-23).  A Bradley error tied things up at again at 24-24 only to have Bradley hold set point again at 25-24 following another UE error.  Coggin had a kill to seal a 26-24 first-set victory for the Braves.  Demirkol had five kills and five digs in the opening set to pace Bradley.
 
A 5-1 Bradley spurt to open the second set put Bradley out front early and the Braves never looked back, pushing the advantage to as many as 11 (21-10).  Bradley hit .444 in the set, tallying 12 kills without an error on 27 attacks.  Coggin, Kauling and Thompson each had three kills in the second, combining for nine kills on just 19 swings as BU ran away with a 25-13 win. 
 
The third set was the most competitive, with Evansville using a late push to keep the Braves from the sweep.  Bradley led by as many as five (17-12), when the Aces used a six-point run to go in front 18-17.  The set featured 19 ties and seven lead changes with Bradley holding the first set point of the frame at 24-23 after a Thompson solo block.  Evansville's Melanie Feliciano, who had nine kills in the third, had back-to-back kills to give the Aces set point at 25-24.  Freshman Kaylenn Hunt answered with a kill to pull Bradley even at 25-25, but another Feliciano kill put UE in front and a kill by Alondra Vazquez gave Evansville the set 27-25. 
 
Bradley broke open the fourth set midway through, with Bergman keying a 5-1 spurt with a kill and block as the Braves built a 19-12 edge.  Kauling's 10th kill of the night later extended the advantage to eight (22-14), before Evansville made another late push.  An Evansville service error snapped a 4-0 UE run and gave the Braves match point at 24-19.  The Aces scored the next two points, before Thompson closed out the 25-21 Bradley win with her team-best 12th kill of the night. 
 
Giulia Cardona led Evansville with a match-high 19 kills and was one of three Purple Aces with 15 or more kills in the contest. 
 
Bradley closes out the regular-season schedule with a three-match road swing that starts Friday at Loyola (6 p.m.).    
 
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Players Mentioned

Raeann Bergman

#20 Raeann Bergman

MB
6' 4"
Junior
Karagan Coggin

#3 Karagan Coggin

RS/MB
6' 2"
Junior
Kora Kauling

#4 Kora Kauling

S
6' 2"
Senior
Hannah Thompson

#6 Hannah Thompson

OH
5' 8"
Senior
Kaylenn Hunt

#13 Kaylenn Hunt

OH
6' 0"
Freshman
Silan Demirkol

#23 Silan Demirkol

OH
5' 11"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Raeann Bergman

#20 Raeann Bergman

6' 4"
Junior
MB
Karagan Coggin

#3 Karagan Coggin

6' 2"
Junior
RS/MB
Kora Kauling

#4 Kora Kauling

6' 2"
Senior
S
Hannah Thompson

#6 Hannah Thompson

5' 8"
Senior
OH
Kaylenn Hunt

#13 Kaylenn Hunt

6' 0"
Freshman
OH
Silan Demirkol

#23 Silan Demirkol

5' 11"
Freshman
OH