Indiana St. INS 2-4, 2-3 MVC

Bradley BRAD 2-3, 2-3 MVC

Indiana St. INS

2-4, 2-3 MVC

Final

Feb. 14, 2021

Bradley BRAD

2-3, 2-3 MVC

Set Scores
Team	1	2	3	4	F
Indiana St. INS	12	29	29	15	(1)
Bradley BRAD	25	27	31	25	(3)

Box Score

Volleyball Grinds Out Four-Set Win Over Indiana State

Box Score

Game Recap: Volleyball | 2/14/2021 6:07:00 PM

PEORIA, Ill. -- Sophomore Serena Sparks collected a career-high 34 digs and three Braves posted double-doubles as Bradley Volleyball used a solid defensive effort to pull out a 25-12, 27-29, 31-29, 25-15 victory over Indiana State Sunday afternoon at Renaissance Coliseum.

The Braves (2-3 overall) finished with a season-best 105 digs, which ranks as the fifth-best dig total in a four-set match in program history, behind the career-best 34-dig effort by Sparks. The 34-dig performance ties for the 10th-best single match dig total in school history.

Offensively, sophomores Karagan Coggin (14 kills) and Raeann Bergman (13 kills) each notched career highs in kills to pace Bradley. In addition to the offensive efforts of Coggin and Bergman, three Braves turned in double-doubles as juniors Hannah Thompson (11 kills & 22 digs) posted her fourth of the year, Kora Kauling (49 assists & 14 digs) had her third straight double-double and Kat Poore (10 kills & 16 digs) turned in her second career double-double.

Bradley blitzed Indiana State (2-4 overall, 2-3 MVC) in the opening set, cruising to a 25-12 victory. The Braves jumped out to a commanding 12-3 lead early on and never looked back, forcing nine Sycamore errors in the opening-set win.

The second set went back and forth with neither team leading by more than three points throughout. Indiana State held a 15-12 advantage at the media timeout and the Sycamores eventually held set point at 24-22. Thompson sandwiched kills around a Bergman kill as the Braves fought off a pair of set points to take a 25-24 lead. Bradley would also hold set point at 26-25 and 27-25, before Indiana State rallied. Madeline Williams knotted things up at 27-27 with a kill and teamed with Mary Hannah Lewis for a block to give the Sycamores a 28-27 lead. A Melina Tedrow kill sealed a 29-27 win for Indiana State to even the match at one set each.

A marathon third set, which featured nine lead changes and 21 ties would tip the scales in Bradley's favor. Sparks notched 17 of her career-best 34 digs in the third set victory for BU. Like the second set, neither team led by more than three throughout the third. Freshman Doga Topcicek broke a 23-23 tie with a kill to give the Braves set point at 24-23. Indiana State's Karinna Gall answered with back-to-back kills to give the Sycamores set point (25-24).

Bradley fought off three Indiana State set points, before eventually taking a 28-27 lead on Coggin's fifth kill of the set. The Sycamores didn't go quietly, however, taking the next two points on a BU error and Mallory Keller kill to go in front 29-28. A Sycamore service error once again tied it up at 29-29 before an ace by Poore put BU ahead 30-29. Coggin came up with a block on the next point as the Braves took the set 31-29.

The Braves put together their best offensive set of the afternoon in the fourth, hitting .350 as a team. Poore had three kills during a 4-2 BU spurt to open the frame and had six kills on just 10 swings to highlight the fourth. Bradley broke the set open with a four-point surge midway through that featured a kill from Poore along with a block and kill from Bergman to take a 15-7 lead. The Braves closed out a 25-15 fourth-set win with a 6-1 spurt to take the match in four sets.

Thompson moved up two spots on Bradley's career kills list into 23rd and now has 824 career kills, in addition to moving up two places on BU's career digs chart into 12th. With 1,183 career digs, Thompson needs 17 digs to become just the 10th individual in program history with 1,200 career digs.

Bradley will look to complete the series sweep of Indiana State, facing the Sycamores in a 5 p.m. rematch Monday at Renaissance Coliseum.

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