Bradley Volleyball Set To Host Indiana State

Volleyball 2/13/2021 10:55:00 AM

PEORIA, Ill. – Bradley Volleyball returns to Renaissance Coliseum for its first back-to-back home series of the 2020-21 season, with the Braves hosting Indiana State Sunday and Monday.

Looking to rebound from a pair of hard-fought, four-set losses to Drake last weekend, Bradley (1-3 overall) opens the series Sunday with a 3 p.m. match against Indiana State (2-3 overall, 2-2 MVC) and the squads wrap up the two-game set Monday afternoon at 5 p.m.

Both contests will be available on ESPN3 and BradleyBraves.com will provide links to live stats.

The Braves swept the regular-season series from Indiana State last year and have won three of the last four meetings with the Sycamores. Bradley owns a 42-32 lead in the all-time series, which includes a 25-9 advantage in matches played in Peoria. The Braves are 7-3 vs. Indiana State at Renaissance Coliseum. The teams have split eight matches during Head Coach Carol Price-Torok's time on The Hilltop.

Bradley swept Illinois State back on Feb. 1 in the home opener for the team's third straight home victory dating back to a five-set loss to Northern Iowa on Nov. 9, 2019. Heading into the home series against Indiana State, the Braves have won six consecutive home contests against teams from the state of Indiana State going back to a loss to the Sycamores in the final match of the 2017 season. Overall, Bradley is 9-2 in home matches against teams from the state of Indiana during Carol Price-Torok's tenure.

The only player to rank in the top 10 in the MVC in both kills and digs last season, junior Hannah Thompson is once again among the league leaders in both categories this season. Averaging a team-best 3.43 kills per set to rank eighth in the MVC, Thompson is leading the Valley in digs per set at 5.93. Last year she averaged 4.63 digs per set for the highest season average in Bradley history other than liberos. She ranks 10th nationally in digs per set and her average would rank second among Bradley season records behind Yavianliz Rosado's 5.97 digs-per-set average set in 2018. Thompson needs 39 digs to join Mary Kay Schmidt as the only players in program history with 800 career kills and at least 1,200 career digs.

Wichita State transfer Kora Kauling has been settling into her role as the team's primary setter, recording double-doubles in both matches of last week's series at Drake. Kauling, who is sixth in the MVC in assists per set, has also averaged 2.07 kills per set to rank fourth on the team. She had a then career-best 10 kills to go with 32 assists and six digs in the opener at Drake, only to follow it up with 11 kills, 45 assists and six digs to wrap up the series. Kauling's back-to-back double-doubles marked the first time a Bradley setter had double digit kills in a match dating back to a stretch when Samantha Hardwick had three straight triple-doubles in November 2000.

With junior Rachel Pranger sidelined for the first four matches of the season, freshman Doga Topcicek has taken advantage of the opportunity. She is third on the team in kills per set (2.29), coming off a season-best 11-kill effort in the series finale at Drake; in addition to ranking eighth in MVC in digs per set (4.14). Topcicek has been in double figures in either kills or digs in each of her first four outings as a Brave and notched her first career double-double (11 kills & 23 digs) last time out at Drake.

Bradley follows up the series with Indiana State with a two-game road series at Evansville Feb. 21 & 23.

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