By: Eric Gray and Satchel Perlowski
Standing at a record of 8-9, the Bradley University volleyball team has seen their fair share of ups and downs throughout the 2019 season. With a combined 9 freshman and sophomores on the team, the youth and inexperience have been a major contributor to both the strengths and weaknesses of the team. Therefore, what have been the difference makers to this point in the season on the court?
Starting with the formation and strategy of the team, Head Coach Carol Torok explained that they have taken on an entirely new lineup for the court. “We are running a 6-2 (formation), which is the first time we have run that consistently,” said Torok. “We have more attackers on the court more often, which gives us a lot more options and makes it harder for teams to scout us.”
For those unfamiliar, a 6-2 formation brings six hitters and 2 setters on the court. This formation provides a frequent rotation of players as well, which leads to more substitutions and
ultimately more playing time for the youth-centric team that Bradley currently runs. The chart below compares the offensive stats from 2018 vs. 2019 at the halfway point of their season.
Serena Sparks, a freshman libero and defensive specialist, praised the team’s serving game, noting their focus in practice. “We focus a lot on serving which gets teams out of system and really helps our defense” Sparks said.
As for their strategy and mentality, Sparks said, “We are a very good defensive team and have a ‘ball up’ mentality as well as challenge the other team with our serves,” Sparks said. “Our game plan is always to out dig and serve the other team.”
The chart above shows the defensive stats of the 2018 and 2019 seasons at the halfway point of the season. This year’s team has improved well on their digs and blocks compared to last season, and their aces are on track to be around the same as last season’s ace number.
With youth being a major storyline for the team, some younger players have had to step up and perform well to keep the team playing strong. Below are the top 5 players in minutes played so far, with four of the five being freshman or sophomores.
Players SP MP MS PTS PTS/S K K/S E TA PCT A A/S SA SE
| Hannah Thompson | 67 | 17 | 15 | 250 | 3.7 | 219 | 3.2 | 67 | 723 | .210 | 14 | .21 | 15 | 9 |
| Rachel Pranger | 65 | 17 | 15 | 227 | 3.5 | 199 | 3 | 89 | 674 | .163 | 7 | .11 | 15 | 12 |
| Karagan Coggin | 65 | 17 | 12 | 111 | 1.7 | 76 | 1.1 | 27 | 209 | .234 | 2 | .03 | 4 | 6 |
| Maggie Revell | 42 | 13 | 10 | 89 | 2.1 | 67 | 1.6 | 21 | 168 | .274 | 1 | .02 | 7 | 8 |
| Raeann Bergman | 48 | 13 | 8 | 100 | 2 | 80 | 1.6 | 25 | 190 | .289 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
As you can see here in this table, Hannah Thompson has shown the most production out of the five and that’s a very bright sign for the Braves fans because Thompson is only a sophomore and will have two more years left before she graduates. Thompson leads the team in points and kills as she is a deadly weapon on offense. Sophomore Rachel Pranger comes in right behind Thompson in both points and kills and completes a very successful group of outside hitters. If these two continue to produce along with other role players, the Braves could be one of those six top Missouri Valley Conference teams, and advance to the MVC tournament.
Currently, the Braves are 8-9 and have two huge games coming up against Valporaiso and Loyola. “This weekend could prove to be a much needed turning point in the season as Valpo and Loyola are two important conference games that we’ve had circled since the season began,” Coach Torok explained. She also mentioned how Valpo’s record doesn’t do justice to how well their team has been playing as of late due to early season injuries.
When Sophomore Kat Poore was asked what had been working for the team so far, Poore said, “Honestly, I feel like our ability to win big points during the course of the game. We are resilient and that really shows when we are behind in a set.” Poore is an outside hitter and is third on the team in kills and fourth on the team in points. “The biggest thing i’m excited for is that (my teammates) will all be able to play together for the next couple of years. We already have good chemistry and we are excited to build off that.”
Going into the homestand, here are the current MVC standings.
| SCHOOL | CONF | CPCT. | OVERALL | PCT. | STREAK |
| Loyola | 6-0 | 1.000 | 13-6 | 0.684 | W6 |
| UNI | 6-1 | 0.857 | 12-9 | 0.571 | L1 |
| Illinois State | 4-2 | 0.667 | 11-7 | 0.611 | W2 |
| Bradley | 4-2 | 0.667 | 8-9 | 0.471 | W1 |
| Evansville | 3-3 | 0.500 | 12-5 | 0.706 | L2 |
| Valparaiso | 3-3 | 0.500 | 8-12 | 0.400 | W3 |
| Southern Illinois | 2-4 | 0.333 | 10-10 | 0.500 | L3 |
| Missouri St. | 1-5 | 0.167 | 4-16 | 0.200 | L2 |
| Indiana St. | 1-5 | 0.167 | 3-13 | 0.188 | W1 |
| Drake | 1-6 | 0.143 | 7-13 | 0.350 | L6 |
There’s a lot of action remaining and the team is anxious to get out on the court and prove that they belong in the MVC tournament. For more information on the Bradley Volleyball team, visit https://bradleybraves.com/index.aspx?path=wvball for up-to-date information on the team and a look at the remaining schedule, team and individual statistics.
Follow Eric Gray on Twitter at @EricGrayBU and Satchel Perlowski on Twitter at @SatchelPerlows1