The Bruins volleyball team split their tri-match on Saturday evening as the team defeated Hiwassee College 3-0 (25-13, 25-13, 25-11) but fell to Bluefield College 0-3 (7-25, 16-25, 16-25). The team is now 14-7 on the season.

"We had different players in different positions that stepped up for us today," Coach Vickie Denny said. "We had several players out with injury and sickness. We had some adversity going into the matches today, but I am pleased with our teams response in continuing to work hard for the 1-1 split." 

The Bruins would be without setter Rachel Tubbs who had suffered a foot injury in the match on Friday night. Backup setter Olivia Vosburgh would also be out for the day so the Bruins relied on Saleena Walker to be the setter in both matches. Walker wouldn't disappoint as she had a solid day for the team. 

In the first match of the day, the Bruins would compete against Hiwassee College. The two teams had met earlier in the season in Greenville with the Bruins capturing a 3-0 win. The Bruins were looking for similar success and came out strong in the opening set with a good offensive and defensive attack to build the lead. Saleena Walker provided the setting touch for the team which freed up Kendra Jeffcott for kills. This helped the Bruins continue to build on their advantage as the team took the first set 25-13. 

The Bruins continued to ride the momentum into the second set as the team got good play from several players throughout the match. Katelyn MacDowell provided a spark off the bench as she contributed several kills to help the Bruins continue to keep the upper hand. The Lions couldn't seem to slow down the Bruins attackers as BJU took the second set 25-13. 

In the third set, the team came out determined for the sweep and it showed as the Bruins dominated on both sides of the ball to build a sizable lead. Hiwassee College couldn't mount a comeback as the Bruins held on for a 25-11 victory and a 3-0 match win. 

The Bruins had little time to recover as they took the court against Bluefield College for their second match of the day. The Bruins were familiar with the Rams, as the team had lost to Bluefield College in straight sets on September 30 in Greenville. The Bruins were looking for a better result this time around as they took the court. 

The Rams came out strong in front of their hometown crowd as they built a big lead in the opening set. Defensively, the Bruins struggled to maintain Kaitlyn Shaver and Hannah Tatum as the duo combined for several kills throughout the match. The Rams won handily in the first set 25-9 over BJU. 

In the second set, the Bruins were determined to claw their way back into the game. But the Rams offense continued to be too much for the Bruins as they strung together a late run to win the second set 25-16. The Bruins committed several costly errors in the third set which the Rams took advantage of as BJU again found themselves trailing early. Although Katelyn MacDowell and Kendra Jeffcott provided a good attack for the Bruins offense, the team couldn't string together consistent stops defensively as the Rams held on for a 25-16 win in the third set and a 3-0 match victory. 

"It will be good for our team to get some rest and recovery," Coach Denny said. "We have a big week coming up and I was proud of the way we had several players step up as some were out."

Saleena Walker had 53 assists on the day while Kendra Jeffcott had 20 kills and Erin Jarvis finished the day with 14. The Bruins record moves to 14-7 on the season as Coach Denny picked up her 997th career victory. Next up, the Bruins will welcome Truett-McConnell College and Montreat College to the Davis Field House for a tri-match on Thursday night.

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