Cedar Falls, Iowa - Coming off of a home win, Bradley Volleyball (5-12, 1-4 MVC) turns the page with an Iowa road trip, playing Northern Iowa (11-6, 4-0 MVC) on Friday, before battling the Drake Bulldogs (12-5, 3-1 MVC) on Saturday.
HOW TO FOLLOW
TV at Northern Iowa (ESPN3)
Live Stats at Northern Iowa
TV at Drake (ESPN3)
Live Stats at Drake
HOW THE BRAVES MATCH UP
Bradley is coming off a four-set win at home over Illinois State on Tuesday night. The Braves got off to a 2-0 lead, featuring a match-high .464 hitting percentage in the opening set. The tide had turned to a degree when the Redbirds out-hit the Braves in sets two and three, the latter of which the Redbirds won to force a fourth set.
The Braves turned it up a notch defensively in what would ultimately be the final set, holding Illinois State to a .083 hitting percentage. No set was decided by more than five points.
Individually, it was effectively the
Karagan Coggin Show, as the Braves' preseason all-Valley selection would lead Bradley in kills (career-high 18), aces (2), and blocks (3).
Doga Topcicek and
Silan Demirkol went 2-3 in aces, assists, and digs, with Demirkol also the other Brave with 10+ kills (12).
ABOUT THE PANTHERS
Northern Iowa currently stands alone atop the MVC standings at (4-0) in league play. The Panthers, who haven't played a Missouri Valley match at home until Friday, have taken down Valparaiso (3-2), UIC (3-1), Missouri State (3-1), and Southern Illinois (3-0) thus far. When the face the Braves, it will also be their Homecoming Match and Title IX Match.
Emily Holterhaus will certainly be on the watchlist for the Panthers. The junior has a 40-kill lead on the season and has totaled 10 or more kills in all but two matches. The Panthers also feature a balanced service game, with each player making up their season total in aces all within nine such serves of each other. Kira Fallert leads the category with 22. Carly Spies could be another name to watch out of the front row. Spies leads Northern Iowa in total blocks with 67, and presently holds a 20-block lead.
Bradley has won two of the past five meetings, including a five-set win in Peoria in late-October 2021. Friday is the 82nd all-time meeting, with Northern Iowa holding a 69-12 advantage. Bradley has not won in Cedar Falls since a three-set win in October 1984.
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
Drake is not far behind their in-state foes, sitting at a one-loss league record. The Bulldogs swept their most recent weekend series, picking up wins over Southern Illinois (3-1) and Missouri State (3-2).
Not just next to each other on the roster, but also 1-2 in season kills for Drake are #8, Mariana Rodrigues (207) and #9, Haley Bush (213). Three different Bulldogs have 10+ aces, with Addison Beagle leading the way with 16. The Braves will try and stifle Kacie Rewerts' defensive efforts, as Rewerts paces the total blocks by 34, stopping 79 to this point of the season.
Saturday is the 70th all-time meeting between the two, with Drake holding a slim 35-34 lead. Bradley has won five of the past eight meetings, including taking the last meeting in Des Moines, 3-1.
The Bulldogs play Illinois State on Friday before taking on the Braves.
AFTER THE WEEKEND... WHAT'S NEXT?
Next weekend is a busy one for the Braves. Bradley welcomes Evansville on Friday, October 14th (6PM) for their annual "Pink Out" match. The weekend concludes by hosting Indiana State on Saturday, October 15th (5PM) for "Alumni Night".
