Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
After a thrilling victory in their inaugural match on Friday night, the Bob Jones University Bruins volleyball team had a tough second game of the season losing to the Point University Skyhawks in three straight sets (25-19, 25-15, 25-17).
 
"We knew Point University was going to have bigger blocks, harder hits and tougher serves," Bruins Head Coach Vickie Denny said. "They showed us that they are a better team and we didn't do the things we needed to do to win."
 
The Skyhawks had a very diverse attack team and quickly showed their domination on the court during the first set. Their blockers making the Bruins strong hitters struggle. Both teams had good volleys and the score went back and forth both teams neck and neck, neither pulling ahead by a large margin. At one point the Bruins took the lead 10-7, with some crucial hits by Kirstin Christmas finding the holes in the Skyhawks defense. But soon the teams were tied again with possession and momentum continuing to switch back and forth. Eventually, due to the Skyhawks relentless front row and the Bruins failing to capitalize on serves, the Skyhawks pulled ahead and took the first set 25-19.
 
"We dug a hole for ourselves in the first set and we never got out," Coach Denny said. "We have to reduce the number of mistakes we make so we're not making the win easy for them."
 
In the second set the Bruins quickly fell behind 5-2. Point University continued to pick apart the Bruins who failed to communicate stretching their lead 9-3. The Bruins couldn't seem to hold onto their serve long enough to catch up and dropped the second set 25-15.
 
In the third set, the Bruins continued to fail on serves but continued to battle tying the set at 8-8. Another good kill by Christmas gave the Bruins a little boost as they got the ball but it wasn't enough as the team fell to Point University 25-17 in the final set.
 
In their second match of the day, the Bruins showed up with a spark as they faced off against Spartanburg Methodist College. Despite capturing the first two sets, the Bruins couldn't clinch the win losing in five sets (25-16, 25-22, 26-24, 27-25, 15-10).
 
"It's a hard loss, but hopefully it's early enough in the season to learn from it and be better because of it," Coach Denny said.
 
In the first set the Bruins proved they were ready to play, hitting serves in, calling the ball, covering ground, and throwing blocks. The team had the crowd on their feet with excitement! Though the Pioneers played well, the Bruins easily won the first set 25-16.
 
The second set was filled with longer volleys and harder hits as the Bruins and the Pioneers continued to face off with much energy. The Bruins had an early lead of 7-3. The Pioneers came back to tie it up at 7-7, but not for long. Saleena Walker went on a serving streak and soon the Bruins led 17-9. The Pioneers were not to be forgotten, however and once again they came back to tie it up 17-17. But the Bruins got the ball back and battled their way to win the second set 25-22.
 
Set three started where the last ended, with both teams evenly matched, making good plays and few mistakes. The score went back and forth until Johnson served four in a row to give the Bruins the lead 20-16, but unfortunately it didn't last. Just as they did the set before, the Pioneers came roaring back and eventually took the third set 26-24.
 
In the fourth set it seems to start the same with the score back and forth, but the Pioneers took the lead 16-8 despite some good blocks by Erin Jarvis and Rachel Tubbs. It seems the fatigue is setting in on the Bruins as the Pioneers built their lead to 21-10. This time, it was the Bruins who were the comeback team as as Saleena Walker served eight in a row for the Bruins bringing the score to 22-19. Then the next rotation Johnson served four in a row to tie the teams up at 23-23. Eventually the Pioneers squeak out two in a row to win set four 27-25.
 
In the fifth and final set the Bruins got off to a poor start and soon trailed 9-5. Tired emotionally and physically from a long day of playing, the Bruins fought to leave it all on the court, but fell in the final set 15-10 as the Pioneers won three straight sets to steal the victory.
 
"I was pleased," said Coach Denny. "I believe we played our best defense of the year."
 
Walker led the team with seven service aces while Tubbs led in assists with a total of 33, and Christmas led in kills with a total of 17.Coach Denny said looking forward to the next match the team will continue to work on developing a defensive system and building mental toughness. Next up, the Bruins will host Hiwassee College at 4 p.m. on Tuesday.