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The Lady Bruins went 1-1 in their doubleheader on Saturday afternoon in Charlotte, North Carolina. The team fell to Johnson and Wales University 3-0 (13-25, 20-25, 17-25) but followed it up with a 3-0 victory over Morris College (25-9, 25-9, 25-14).
"I was disappointed in our defense again today," Head Coach Vickie Denny said. "We also had a number of errors that we committed. It was very similar to last night's match against Bluefield College."
The Bruins came into the match on Saturday with an 11-4 record and were looking to get back on track after a loss to Bluefield College on Friday night at home. Their first opponent on Saturday would be a familiar foe as the Bruins battled Johnson and Wales University. The two teams had met in Greenville a few weeks ago with the Wildcats capturing a 3-1 win. On this day, the Bruins were looking for a little redemption as they took the court at the JWU Wildcat Center.
Errors continued to be a problem for the Bruins from the start as the team quickly fell behind the Wildcats in the first set. Kirstin Christmas was able to provide some scoring kills for the team, but the Bruins couldn't put together a sustained scoring run as the Wildcats cruised to a 25-13 victory in the opening set.
In the second set, the Wildcats combined a good serve and strike offensive attack that helped them jump to an early lead. The Bruins found a groove of their own as they battled back to keep the score close. With the set within reach, the Wildcats turned up the offensive pressure to win 25-20. The third set was much the same for the Bruins as blockers weren't getting set in time to stand up to the Wildcats hitters. Despite a late run, the Bruins dropped the match in straight sets 3-0 with a 25-17 loss.
The Bruins looked to shake off back-to-back losses as they took the court against Morris College, an NAIA program. The Bruins jumped out to an early lead behind a strong serving attack as they built a 9-1 advantage over the Hornets. Laura Gaston provided the scoring touch for the team with several good kills throughout as the Bruins roared back from the earlier loss to capture a 25-9 victory in the opening set.
New set, same formula as the Bruins again jumped out to an early advantage. Lauren Johnson helped the Bruins continue to ride momentum as she provided great serving for the team. The Bruins seemed to find their groove as they combined good play to come away with another dominant 25-9 victory in the 2nd set.
With the win within their grasp, the Bruins turned up the intensity to climb on top of the Hornets again in the third set. Johnson again provided the spark as she provided 6 aces throughout the match to give the Bruins the advantage. The Hornets tried to climb back into the game, but the Bruins would not be denied the victory as they captured the third set 25-14 and the match 3-0.
"We will be spending a lot of time this week in practice on a more intense defense as well as eliminating unforced errors," Coach Denny said. "We were pleased that everyone was able to get some good playing time today which is a positive. We'll need to continue to work hard for our next match as it will be an important one."
Kirstin Christmas had 15 kills on the day while Rachel Tubbs led with 20 assists. After the Saturday split, the team is now 12-5 on the season. With the victory, Coach Denny improves to 995 career wins in her legendary coaching career. Next up, the Bruins will be on the road for a region matchup with Toccoa Falls College on Thursday night.
