Braves Fall At UNI To Open MVC Play

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – Playing at Northern Iowa to open Missouri Valley Conference play for the first time since 2004, Bradley Volleyball dropped the league opener 25-20, 25-18, 25-14 Friday night at the McLeod Center.

Senior Hannah Thompson led the Braves (4-8 overall, 0-1 MVC) with eight kills and also had a block and five digs in the setback, while junior Serena Sparks notched a team-best 14 digs to help lead Bradley.

Northern Iowa (6-8 overall, 1-0 MVC) used a 6-0 run midway through the first set to take control and eventually took the opening set 25-20. Bradley pulled even at 12-12 on a Karagan Coggin kill, before the Panthers rattled off six consecutive points to build an 18-12 advantage.…