Asheville, NC – The Bradley Braves traveled to Asheville, North Carolina, for the Blue Ridge Volleyball Classic, coming away with one win in three matches. The Braves opened the tournament with a five-set win over the College of Charleston on Friday morning, but dropped their next two matches, losing to Charlotte in four sets on Friday night and to Western Carolina in five on Saturday morning.
Match One – Charleston
The Braves went back and forth against the College of Charleston and came away with a strong finish to earn their first win of the tournament (23-25, 25-23, 25-22, 21-25, 15-5). Bradley's offense came from all over the floor as Gracie Furlong (18), Tendai Titley (11), and Anna Kiss (11) all finished with double-digit kills. Furlong added a service ace, while Titley contributed four blocks and 15 digs. Maria Drapp had a show-stopping performance, finishing with 49 assists, two service aces, 13 digs, four kills, and a .400 hitting percentage. Even though the first four sets were close, the Braves shut the door in the fifth, securing eight of the last nine points to take home their third victory of the season.
Match Two – Charlotte
Bradley carried the momentum from their morning victory to take the first set, but dropped the next three, falling to Charlotte in four sets (25-19, 18-25, 18-25, 13-25). Chloe Parker had a solid game, totaling eight kills and a block with a .350 hitting percentage. Drapp put up another great match, leading the team with 31 assists and ranking second in digs with 14, while also adding five kills and a service ace. The Braves came out firing to take the first set, but struggled later in the match as they only had a few hours of rest before taking on a rested Charlotte team in the final three sets.
Match Three – Western Carolina
The Braves looked to finish the weekend with a winning record but fell just short, as they were unable to close out the match after going up 2-0 over Western Carolina (25-16, 25-20, 23-25, 25-27, 11-15). The trio of Furlong (16), Kiss (15), and Titley (12) all put up double-digit kills for the second time this weekend, with Furlong contributing two service aces, two block assists, and 13 digs, while Titley put up a service ace, two blocks, and 17 digs. Irene Mostardini led the back row with 27 digs while totaling nine assists and putting up a service ace. Drapp finished the match with 46 assists, two service aces, 11 digs, and a .500 hitting percentage. Bradley came close, forcing a tiebreaker in the fourth set, but couldn't seal the win, finishing the weekend with a 1-2 record.
Coming up…
The Braves return home next week as they host Jacksonville State, Central Michigan, and UMKC as part of Bradley University's Family Weekend.
