PEORIA, Ill. – Bradley Volleyball earned a four-set victory over rival Illinois State on Tuesday evening at Renaissance Coliseum, defeating the Redbirds 25-13, 25-20, 15-25, 26-24. The Braves improved to 13-12 overall and 8-5 in Missouri Valley Conference play, moving into a tie with Illinois State in the MVC standings.

Bradley came out strong in the opening set, building a 15-8 advantage before extending its lead to 21-11. The Braves hit an impressive .406 with 14 kills and just one attack error to secure a dominant 25-13 victory. Bradley carried that momentum into the second set, jumping ahead 16-10 before holding off a late Illinois State push to claim a 25-20 win and take a two-set advantage.

Illinois State responded in the third set, establishing an early lead and extending its advantage to 19-10. The Redbirds hit .543 with 21 kills to take the set 25-15 and force a fourth frame.

Bradley regained control early in the fourth set, jumping ahead 12-4 before extending its lead to 18-8. Illinois State rallied late, erasing a 24-20 deficit to tie the score at 24-24. However, Gracie Furlong delivered a crucial kill to give Bradley match point before Cherlin Antonio sealed the 26-24 victory with a kill.

Antonio led Bradley with 13 kills and three block assists, while Furlong recorded a double-double with 11 kills and 16 digs. Mairen Mannon added 11 kills on a .476 hitting percentage and three block assists, while Dakota Elliott contributed five kills on a .500 hitting percentage.

Maria Drapp recorded a double-double with 42 assists and 12 digs, adding five kills and two service aces. Eirini Bitsaktsi led the defensive effort with 17 digs and a team-high three service aces.

Bradley finished the match with 52 kills, 60 digs, eight service aces and five total blocks, hitting .301 as a team. The Braves committed just 11 attack errors and held Illinois State to a .277 hitting percentage to secure their eighth conference victory of the season.