Box Score
The Lady Bruins won their fifth straight game as the team defeated the Johnson & Wales University Wildcats 3-1 in their homecoming match on Friday night in the Davis Field House. With the win, the Bruins improve to 12-11 on the season.

"We've been playing pretty well lately" Bruins Head Coach Vickie Denny said. "I felt that if we played up to potential we could take the match."
 
In the first set the Bruins were able to take a quick 6-2 with help from scores by Lauren Johnson and Saleena Walker and to a double hit violation on the Wildcats. After that, errors seemed to be the theme of the set as both the Bruins and the Wildcats committed their fair share. Two services errors by the Bruins trimmed the Bruins lead down to 9-8. After a kill by Katherine Ring, the Wildcats hit the net on their serve and then were called for another double hit violation to give the Bruins a 12-8 lead. Erin Jarvis was blocked at the net to cut the Bruins lead down to 12-10, but a pair of double hit violations on JWU would extend the Bruins' lead to 14-10. A kill by Lauren Muckenschnabl gave the Bruins an 18-14 lead, but the Bruins quickly saw their lead cut down to two, 19-17. Marjorie Elliott and Jarvis would make three back to back kills to put away the Wildcats for good as the Bruins won the first set 25-19.
 
The Wildcats jumped to an early 3-1 lead in set two. Katherine Ring was able to get in another kill and the double hit violations still plagued the Wildcats in the set. An out of bounds serve by the Wildcats put the Bruins on a 3-0 run and gave them a 9-7 lead. Both teams tied a couple of times after due to unforced errors but the Wildcats were able to get a 16-13 lead over the Bruins, prompting Coach Denny to call a timeout. Katherine Ring got a kill following a long volley which helped the Bruins time the set at 16-16. Rachel Tubbs was then able to score three straight kills to boost the Bruins to a 21-18 lead. However, that was not enough, as the Wildcats capitalized on Bruin errors and took a 22-21 lead. The Bruins were able to tie the set at 23, but the Wildcats overcame the Bruins, again off an error, to take the set, 25-23.

"Different people stepped up at different times" Coach Denny said. "Almost everyone struggled sometime during the set. It was a real team effort."
 
The Bruins now faced a critical third set. Despite facing a tied match, the Bruins stayed positive on the court. "We believed in each other on the court" Bruins Captain Rachel Tubbs said. With the momentum still on their side, the Wildcats got off to a 3-0 lead until a kill by Katherine Ring ended the Wildcats early run. Another kill by Ring and a kill by Tubbs helped the Bruins get a 5-4 lead in the set. After the timeout, the Wildcats made two more errors and Brittany Annand and Laura Gaston made some kills to tie the game at 11-11. The Wildcats responded by going on a 3-0 run which put the Bruins down 14-11. Erin Jarvis and Rachel Tubbs led the way for the Bruins to tie the set at 16-16, and the Bruins took an 18-16 lead forcing the Wildcats to call a timeout. The Bruins never looked back after the timeout and with the help of four kills by Laura Gaston as the Bruins took the third set 25-20.
 
With the crowd on their feet, the Bruins looked to win the game with a win in the 4th set. The set went back and forth early and the two teams were tied at 7-7. Erin Jarvis and Katherine Ring landed some kills and the Bruins took a 10-7 advantage. The Wildcats called a timeout hoping to stop the Bruins run in the critical set, but the Bruins wouldn't be stopped however as Gaston landed an ace and Annand got two kills to extend the Bruins run to seven straight points and their lead to 13-7. The lead proved to be too much to overcome for the Wildcats as Brittany Annand, Katherine Ring and Laura Gaston led the way to a Bruins 25-16 victory in the set, and 3-1 victory in the match.

"We struggled a few times, but I was pleased that the young ladies were able to turn it around and win it in four" Coach Denny said.
 
Rachel Tubbs had a triple double on the night with led the team with 20 assists and 12 kills and 20 digs. Saleena Walker led the team defensively with 21 digs on the night. With the win, the Bruins have won five straight and go above .500 at 12-11. 
 
Next up, the Bruins will matchup against Belmont Abbey College on Tuesday night in Greenville, South Carolina. 

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