PEORIA, Ill. – Picking up another sweep of a conference opponent, the Indiana State Volleyball defeated Bradley in straight sets (25-12, 25-14, 25-13) on Saturday evening. Indiana State improves to 12-6 overall and 4-3 in Missouri Valley Conference action.
The weekend sweep of the Braves and Loyola marked the first back-to-back 3-0 conference victories for Indiana State since 2001.
Sophomore outside hitter Bree Spangler led the Sycamores' offensive attack with 13 kills as the team hit .292 on the night. Sophomore middle blocker Melody Burdette also turned in eight kills while junior middle blocker Cassandra Willis added six.
Defensively, ISU got a team-high 13 digs from freshman libero Danielle Waedekin while Spangler added nine. Willis led with five total blocks, having a hand in nearly all of ISU's seven blocks in the match.
Junior setter Erika Nord handled setting duties with 38 assists on the night, while Spangler also compiled three service aces.
As a team, the Sycamores compiled 41 kills compared to BU's 17 and out-assisted (40-16), out-dug (50-40) and out-blocked (7-4) its opponent on the evening. ISU also recorded eight services aces.
ISU cruised in set one to a 25-12 victory behind four kills apiece from Nalls and Burdette. The Sycamores also held the Braves to a -.031 hitting percentage in the frame with just four total kills.
Waedekin chipped in six of her 13 digs in the opening frame, as the Sycamores combined for a .242 hitting percentage in the set.
Falling behind early in set two, the Sycamores pulled out of its deficit on an 11-2 run to roll to a 25-14 victory. Tied at 7-7, ISU rattled off seven straight points to take a 14-7 lead.
Continuing to roll, ISU hit .303 in the set while the Braves narrowly hit in the plus with a .031. They blew open the set on two consecutive kills from Spangler and got help from the Braves to close the set for a 25-14 victory.
Three kills from Spangler and senior middle blocker Kyla Thomas each helped complete the sweep with the 25-13 set three victory. Bradley hit .000 in the set compared to ISU's .333 with just two errors in the final frame. Willis helped on the defensive end by chipping in all three Sycamore blocks.
ISU returns home to host Drake and UNI in weekend action at ISU Arena. Both matches are slated for 7 p.m. starts at ISU Arena.
For the latest information on the Sycamore Women's Volleyball team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
