PEORIA, Ill. – Ava Robart led all players with 14 kills Thursday evening, but Bradley rallied in each of the last two sets to slip past Indiana State in four sets (25-15, 22-25, 25-21, 25-17) inside Renaissance Coliseum.
Kira Holland inched closer to 1,000 career kills, finishing with 12 kills and 14 digs, with the Sycamore senior pulling within 12 kills of the milestone mark.
Avery Hales dished out 41 assists and added 11 digs for a double-double, while
Macy Lengacher led the Blue and White with 17 digs.
Set 1 | Bradley 25, Indiana State 15
Bradley had most of the momentum in the opening set, but kills from
Corinne Knapp and
Ella Scott had the Trees within a pair early on. The home side followed with a 6-1 run, though, taking full control of the set in the process. Late kills from Holland and Kendall weren't enough for the Sycamores, who dropped the opening frame 25-15.
Set 2 | Indiana State 25, Bradley 22
Indiana State started the second set much better than the first, as Holland dropped an early ace, while kills from Robart and
Lily Mueller gave the Sycamores a three-point advantage. Back-to-back kills from Robart midway through, along with an ace from Lengacher, ensured the Sycamores led at the media timeout, and the Blue and White kept their foot on the gas pedal. Robart added three more kills after the media timeout, finishing with eight in the set, to help the Sycamores extend their lead to 20-14. Mueller and Holland tacked on late kills, while Indiana State took advantage of Bradley errors down the stretch to claim set two by a 25-22 margin.
Set 3 | Bradley 25, Indiana State 21
Kills from Holland and Mueller helped the Sycamores overcome a slow start to the third set, but Bradley maintained a three-point lead for most of the early stages. Three straight kills from Robart flipped the script, though, as the Sycamores went on a four-point run and took the lead at the media timeout. Two kills from Holland helped the Trees go on a 4-1 run to extend their lead to 20-17, but Bradley came roaring back from there. The Braves claimed eight of the last nine points in the set to win the third 25-21.
Set 4 | Bradley 25, Indiana State 17
The Sycamores once again started strong with kills from Robart and Kendall to begin set four. Mueller and Kendall continued the early momentum in the set with kills to give the Sycamores a 10-5 lead, but Bradley responded with a run of its own to pull within a point. Kendall and Holland continued their strong attacking performances with kills to keep the Trees in front, but Bradley countered with another run to pull ahead at the media timeout. Attack errors proved costly in the late stages of the set for the Sycamores, as Bradley closed on a 9-1 run to win the fourth set 25-17.
News and Notes
- Kira Holland's 12 kills in Thursday's match put her at 988 for her career, with the senior outside hitter needing just 12 more kills to become the 13th player in program history with 1,000 career kills.
- Ava Robart appeared in her first match since Sept. 26 against Southern Illinois, leading all players with 14 kills despite playing in just three of the four sets.
- Avery Hales' 41-assist performance in Thursday's match was her third match with 40-plus assists in the last four contests, with the Sycamore setter recording double-doubles in each of the last four matches.
- Indiana State finished with more kills (52-46) and assists (52-45) than Bradley in Thursday's match.
Up Next
Indiana State returns home to face Illinois State in the Sycamores' Pink Out game Saturday at 5 p.m.
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