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3
Winner Central Michigan CMU 1-0
1
Bradley BRAD 0-1
Winner
Central Michigan CMU
1-0
3
Final
1
Bradley BRAD
0-1
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Central Michigan CMU 25 22 25 25 (3)
Bradley BRAD 18 25 21 15 (1)
Thompson Dig Record

Thompson Breaks Career Digs Mark In Season-Opening Setback

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Game Recap: Volleyball |
PEORIA, Ill. -- Senior Hannah Thompson collected 21 digs and team-high 14 kills as she broke the Bradley career digs record, while fellow senior Rachel Pranger added 11 kills and 23 digs in her first outing since the end of the 2019 season; but preseason Mid-American Conference favorite Central Michigan topped the Braves 25-18, 22-25, 25-21, 25-15 Friday in the season opener for both teams at Renaissance Coliseum.
 
Bradley (0-1 overall) had won its last seven season opener played at home dating back to the 1990 season, with that streak snapped by the Chippewas to close out the first day of action at the 2021 CEFCU Invitational Friday.
 
Thompson, who posted her 59th career double-double, broke the Bradley career digs record of 1,437 career digs previously set by Rachelle Dejean (2008-11) in addition to moving up one spot on Bradley's career kills list into 12th as she passed Alise Tupuritis.  Thompson finished the night with 14 kills and 21 digs and enters Saturday's action at the CEFCU Classic needing just 23 kills to push her career total among Bradley's career top 10. 
 
Pranger returned to the lineup after missing the entire 2020-21 season with an injury to collect a team-best 23 digs to go with 11 kills.  Sophomore Abby Johnson joined the duo in double figures with 10 kills.   
 
Central Michigan (1-0 overall) used a 5-1 spurt midway through the first set to take control of the opening stanza.  The Chippewas broke a 10-10 tie with the run and eventually took the frame 25-18. 
 
Pranger had six kills and nine digs in the second and Thompson added five kills and five digs of her own in the set as the duo helped Bradley pull even in the match with a 25-22 victory.  With the score knotted at 20-20, Thompson put the Braves in front 21-20 with her fourth kill of the set and later added her fifth kill of the frame to give Bradley a 23-21 advantage.  The Braves held set point at 24-21 following a Kora Kauling kill, before Pranger capped a 25-22 victory with her sixth kill of the second.
 
Central Michigan scored the first four points of the third, racing out to a 10-3 advantage before a BU timeout.  Bradley trimmed the deficit to two at 12-10 after back-to-back blocks by Johnson and the Braves trailed 15-12 before a 4-1 CMU spurt.  The Central Michigan lead was back down to three at 21-18, only to have CMU answer with consecutive points as the Chippewas took the set 25-21. 
 
An 8-1 Central Michigan run early in the fourth set put CMU in control as the Chippewas built a 14-7 lead.  CMU hit .372 in the final set and took the fourth 25-15 to close out the match.
 
Savannah Thompson led Central Michigan with 16 kills and 23 digs, while libero Aly Gurtiza led the CMU defensive effort with a match-high 29 digs. 
 
Earlier in the day at the CEFCU Classic, Southeast Missouri State topped DePaul in four sets 28-26, 19-25, 25-22, 25-23 behind a 20-kill effort from Zoey Beasley.
 
The CEFCU Classic continues Saturday with Central Michigan facing DePaul at 10 a.m. and Bradley taking on Southeast Missouri State at 12:30 p.m., in a contest that will be available on ESPN+.  Later tomorrow afternoon Southeast Missouri State will square off with Central Michigan at 4:30 p.m. and the Braves play a 7 p.m. match against DePaul on ESPN3. 
 
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Players Mentioned

Abby Johnson

#11 Abby Johnson

MB
6' 5"
Sophomore
Kora Kauling

#4 Kora Kauling

S
6' 2"
Senior
Rachel Pranger

#21 Rachel Pranger

OH
5' 11"
Senior
Hannah Thompson

#6 Hannah Thompson

OH
5' 8"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Abby Johnson

#11 Abby Johnson

6' 5"
Sophomore
MB
Kora Kauling

#4 Kora Kauling

6' 2"
Senior
S
Rachel Pranger

#21 Rachel Pranger

5' 11"
Senior
OH
Hannah Thompson

#6 Hannah Thompson

5' 8"
Senior
OH