Bradley BRAD 8-4,8-4 MVC

Valparaiso VALPO 7-7,6-6 MVC

Bradley BRAD

8-4,8-4 MVC

Final

Mar. 08, 2021

Valparaiso VALPO

7-7,6-6 MVC

Set Scores
Team	1	2	3	4	F
Bradley BRAD	18	25	25	25	(3)
Valparaiso VALPO	25	19	22	19	(1)

Box Score

Josh Schwam

Johnson Helps Power Braves To Four-Set Win At Valpo

Box Score

Game Recap: Volleyball | 3/8/2021 7:24:00 PM

VALPARAISO, Ind. -- Bradley Volleyball got back in the win column, salvaging a series split with Valparaiso on the road as freshman Abby Johnson tallied a season-best 19 kills to help power the Braves to an 18-25, 25-19, 25-22, 25-19 victory Monday at the Athletics-Recreation Center.

Johnson entered the road series at Valparaiso with 23 kills on the season, but followed up a then season-best nine kills in Sunday's series opener with a new season-high 19 kills to highlight Bradley's offensive efforts in Monday's win. The Braves (8-4 overall, 8-4 MVC) moved back into second in the Missouri Valley Conference standings with the victory, improving to 3-4 on the road this season.

Joining Johnson in double figures in kills was junior Hannah Thompson (15 kills) and fellow freshman Jasmine Green, who had a season-high 11 kills in her first career start. Thompson also added a match-high 22 digs as she pushed her career dig total over 1,300 in addition to climbing into 17th in career kills at Bradley.

Junior setter Kora Kauling flirted with a triple-double for the Braves as well, hitting at a .438 clip and collecting eight kills to go with her 49 assists and 16 digs.

Valparaiso (7-7 overall, 6-6 MVC) came out hot in the opener, hitting .326 in the first set. Johnson had five kills on just eight swings in the first set for BU, but Valpo's Peyton McCarthy answered with six kills on nine swings with no errors. Bradley was within three points at 20-17 after one of Thompson's four first-set kills, only to have Valparaiso answer with three straight as part of a 5-1 spurt that closed out a 25-18 Valpo win.

Johnson helped Bradley take control of the second set, notching three kills and a block during a 7-0 BU run. With the Braves trailing 16-14, Johnson sparked the run with a kill and eventually capped it with her fifth kill of the set to put Bradley in front 21-16. Johnson added two more blocks down the stretch before a Maddie Peterson ace sealed a 25-19 Bradley win that knotted things at one set each.

Kauling helped lead a Bradley attack that hit .300 in the third set, collecting five kills on just seven swings in the frame. She had a kill and block during a 5-0 BU spurt that put the Braves in front 14-13. With Bradley leading 23-21, sophomore Raeann Bergman found the floor with a kill to give BU set point (24-21). Valpo's Jillie Grant answered with a kill, only to have Johnson's fifth kill of the set finish off a 25-22 third-set victory for the Braves.

Bradley took control of the fourth set with a 4-0 spurt midway through. Johnson got things started with a kill and Bergman sandwiched a pair of kills around a Valpo error that put Bradley ahead 17-11. Valparaiso got within three a couple times down the stretch with the last coming at 22-19 before the Braves put it away. Kauling's eighth kill of the contest made it a 23-19 advantage and Bradley held match point at 24-19 following another Thompson kill. The Braves captured the set at 25-19 on a Valpo attack error to take the match in four.

Bradley returns to Renaissance Coliseum this weekend for a two-match series against Loyola with the teams opening the set Sunday with a 3 p.m. match.

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