PEORIA, Ill. – Bradley Volleyball began their 50th season with a sweep of the CEFCU Invitational over the weekend.
The Braves are 3-0 for the first time since the 2015 season and swept a home tournament for the first time since 2018.
Starting off the season, Bradley matched up with SIUE on Friday night. The Cougars came into the game with a 3-1 win over Eastern Michigan that morning. The Braves defeated SIUE with a 3-0 sweep at Renaissance Coliseum.
Senior Abby Johnson recorded eight kills while Silan Demirkol had seven. In her BU debut, Dru Kuck collected 23 digs and one ace.
Bradley had two matches scheduled on Saturday. In their first match against Eastern Michigan, the Braves came away with a 3-1 win.
Jasmine Green led the way with 10 kills. Kaylenn Hunt, Kendall Minta and freshman Tendai Titley all recorded nine kills. In her collegiate debut, Titley had seven kills in the fourth set. The Braves served exceptionally well with nine service aces including three for Karina Simatos.
In their final match of the weekend, Bradley played against IUPUI. The Jaguars had beaten both opponents in their previous two matches and looked to sweep the weekend with a win over Bradley. The Braves swept IUPUI after a 3-0 win to stay undefeated this season.
With four block assists and three solo blocks, Minta also had five kills in the match. Titley led the team with six kills in the three-set contest. Both teams recorded four solo blocks but Bradley led the way with 10 block assists.
After the tournament, Minta was named the CEFCU Invitational MVP with 20 kills, five solo blocks and 10 block assists between the three matches. Kuck was also named to the All-Invitational team with 43 digs, five aces and no service errors.
Also named to the team were Priscilla Jones from SIUE, Grace Purichia from IUPUI and Eastern Michigan's Callie Minshew.
The Braves head to Mount Pleasant, Michigan, for the Chippewa Invitational hosted by Central Michigan. Bradley returns home on Sep. 12 for a match with Illinois.
Gallery: (8-28-2023) Volleyball - 2023 CEFCU Invitational
