NORMAL - It's no secret that ISU volleyball coach Sharon Dingman walks around with a smile on her face, but the one she sported Thursday night looked a little bigger than usual.

The grin came after the Redbirds took down Bradley (30-26, 30-26, 27-30, 30-17) for a Missouri Valley Conference victory in Redbird Arena.

"I like the way we're playing right now," Dingman said. "We're passing well and this is just a good little gig we've got going. In the end I thought we were a little bit more athletic and a little bit more physical."

Erin Lindsey dished out 53 assists for the Redbirds (9-9, 4-4), which led to double-digit scoring efforts from four of her teammates. The sophomore also registered eight digs and three block assists.

"I thought Erin (Lindsey) was really exceptional tonight," Dingman said. "She distributed incredibly well and her location was great."

At times M.C. Richmond's right arm could have been mistaken for a cannon, as she posted a game-high 16 kills. While Richmond caused fits from the right side for Bradley (4-16, 1-7), Staehlin did the same in the middle. The junior played her way to 11 kills after just the second game.

"I feel like our defense and serve receive was amazing," Staehlin said. "I think Erin (Lindsey) was really smart about placing the ball and knowing where our block was."

Staehlin ended with 15 kills and played well defensively when it mattered most.

"Our team is so good on defense," Dingman said. "It's going to be hard for a ball to hit the floor without someone from our team touching it."

Lindley McDavid combined with Katie Seyller for 21 kills. Seyller also led the team with eight block assists while fellow freshmen Kasey Mollerus worked hard for a game-high 24 digs. Manoela DaCunha's seven kills and Peggy Riessen's five rounded out the Redbird scoring effort.

Bradley was no pushover, as it led in each game of the match. Kelly Niemeyer headlined the Braves' offensive attack with 16 kills. Amber DeBroux contributed with 14 kills and four block assists. Three members of the Bradley roster posted double-digit digs, but the team committed 35 attack errors.

ISU pulled out a win in a back-and-forth game one, but found itself down 15-12 in the second game. After a timeout, the Redbirds regrouped to score five straight points on their way to a 2-0 lead.

Bradley pushed ahead in game three 26-21, but an offensive outburst by DaCunha and Richmond kept ISU close. The Braves pulled out the victory to force a fourth game, but failed to slow down ISU's momentum in a final game loss.

The Redbirds travel to Northern Iowa Saturday for a 7 p.m. showdown with the league-leading Panthers.