Second-Place Braves Return Home To Host Loyola

Volleyball 3/11/2021 1:30:00 PM

PEORIA, Ill. -- Bradley Volleyball closes the regular season with four of the final six regular-season matches at Renaissance Coliseum as the Braves open the final third of the Missouri Valley Conference schedule this weekend with a two-match home series against Loyola Sunday and Monday.

With only six matches remaining in the regular season, Bradley (8-4 overall, 8-4 MVC) sits alone in second in the MVC standings heading into a key series with Loyola (7-4 overall, 6-4 MVC). The Braves and Ramblers open the series Sunday with a 3 p.m. match at Renaissance Coliseum and close out the set Monday at 5 p.m. Both matches will be available on ESPN3.

The Ramblers swept the seasons series in 2019, but the teams have split the last six meetings. Overall, Loyola owns a 28-17 advantage in the all-time series. The Braves have won two of the last three in the series played in Peoria.

Bradley has already locked up a spot in the MVC Tournament, which will be held April 1-3 in Normal, Ill., with the top eight teams advancing to the tournament. With only two games between the second-place Braves and eighth place in the standings; this weekend's Valley series can help separate what has become a jumble in the middle of the conference standings. Second-place Bradley (8-4) hosts a Loyola team that is in a three-way tie for fourth at 6-4. The other two teams tied with Loyola at 6-4, Drake and Northern Iowa, both play at the two teams currently tied for seventh in the standings at 6-6 in Indiana State and Valparaiso, respectively. First-place Missouri State is on the road at third-place Illinois State.

While Valparaiso did bring an end to Bradley's six match win streak with a win in last week's series opener, the Braves took the finale to improve to 8-4 on the year and hang on to second in the MVC standings. Bradley is 8-4 to start Valley play for the third consecutive year. Prior to the 2018 season, the Braves had a total of just three previous 8-4 or better starts to Valley play with the others coming in 2002 (9-3), 2001 (8-4) and 1999 (10-2). BU has won 11 or more league games each of the previous four times they started Valley action 8-4 or better, finishing no worse than a tie for fourth in any of those seasons.

With Bradley on the brink of locking up the three consecutive .500 or better records in Valley play for the first time in program history, the Braves have won 32 MVC matches over the last three seasons. The last time Bradley won 32 league contests over a three-year span was 2001 through 2003 (32) and the only two three-year stretches in school history with more conference victories were 2000 through 2002 (33) and 1999 through 2001 (36). BU's 32 Valley wins since the start of 2018 are third most in the conference over that span, behind Illinois State (33) and Northern Iowa (39). In fact, Bradley's 32 Valley victories since the start of 2018 surpasses the combined conference win total for the Braves (30) between the 2007 and 2017 seasons.

After playing a league-high seven five-set matches in MVC play last year, Bradley has yet to go to a deciding fifth set through 12 conference matches. The Braves played a total of nine five-set matches in 2019, with five of those falling in the final nine matches of the year.

Bradley is 5-0 at home this season and the Braves have won seven consecutive home contests dating back to last season. The seven-match home win streak is Bradley's longest since a 12-game home win streak to start the 2018 campaign. The Braves are 28-6 at Renaissance Coliseum since the start of that 2018 season. Bradley won a combined 32 home matches in the first eight seasons played at Renaissance Coliseum.

Freshman middle blocker Abby Johnson entered last weekend's series at Valparaiso with 23 kills through the first 10 matches of the season, but had a breakout performance; collecting 28 kills in the two matches and averaging 4.00 kills per set. The tallest player in program history, Johnson started the weekend with a then season-best nine kills in Sunday's three-set loss to Valpo, before a 19-kill performance in Monday's four-set win that is the best kill total by a Brave this season. Johnson has averaged 3.88 kills per set over the last three matches.

Bradley follows up the home series against Loyola with the final road trip of the regular season, with the Braves heading to Springfield, Mo., for a two-match series at league-leading Missouri State March 21 & 22.

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Players Mentioned

#9 Abby Johnson: MB; 6' 5"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#9 Abby Johnson
: 6' 5"; Freshman
: MB

Second-Place Braves Return Home To Host Loyola

Players Mentioned

#9 Abby Johnson

Players Mentioned

#9 Abby Johnson