Box Score
The Lady Bruins opened the match with a win, but the team couldn't hold the lead as Converse College stormed back to win the match 3-1 on Tuesday night in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
"It was a tale of two teams tonight," Bruins head Coach Vickie Denny said. "Don't know how we played so well in the first and last set and so poorly in the middle sets. Hats off to Converse who exposed our weaknesses and kept going after them over and over."
The Bruins and Valkyries met earlier in the season with Converse College winning in five sets 3-2. The Bruins came into the match in the midst of a four-match winning streak after an impressive 4-0 road trip over the weekend. Their impressive performance last week launched them up to the #4 ranking in the latest NCCAA National poll.
In the opening set, Lauren Johnson provided the serving touch for the Bruins with back to back aces as the teams were tied 3-3. The Valkyries were able to score three straight to take the advantage but the Bruins battled back behind kills from Rachel Tubbs and Marjorie Elliott as they tied 8-8. The Bruins kept the momentum going as they scored four straight points to take a 12-8 lead. Laura Gaston had a strong serve for the team as the Bruins continued to keep the Valkyries at bay. After taking a 23-19 lead, the Bruins looked to close out the set but Converse College battled back to tie 23-23. After a handling error by the Valkyries, Erin Jarvis stepped up with a big kill to give the Bruins the set 25-23.
The Valkyries came out looking to avenge their opening set loss as they stormed out to a 10-5 advantage. Kills by Erin Jarvis and Brittany Annand helped the Bruins cut into the lead but the Valkyries kept pressuring the net and getting kills. The Bruins couldn't recover as they dropped the second set 13-25. The match was tied 1-1.
Things went from bad to worse for the Bruins in set three as the Valkyries jumped out to an 11-2 lead. Nothing seemed to be going right for the Bruins and the Valkyries took advantage as they continued to stretch their lead. After an error by Lauren Johnson, the Bruins trailed 20-3 in the set. The team was able to make a short comeback but it wasn't enough as the Valkyries took the third set 25-11 to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
With their backs against the wall, the Bruins were determined to battle back and it showed as they played much better in the fourth set. Katherine Ring came up big defensively with several key blocks as the Bruins led 7-5. Eventually the two teams would battle to 13-13 tie. After a kill by Rachel Tubbs, the Valkyries responded with five straight points to take a 18-15 advantage. The Bruins continued to claw their way back into the game but the Valkyries were able to hold off the rally as they closed out the Bruins 25-22 to win the match 3-1.
"We were slow in making the necessary adjustments," Coach Denny said. "Our defense had some great digs but unfortunately our offense struggle all evening with only two players with positive hitting efficiency. You are not going to win too many matches with those numbers. It was a tough loss and we only have one day to regroup and get ready for Thursday. With only three regular seasons matches left we are looking for some momentum going into regionals."
Laura Gaston led the Bruins with 9 kills on the night while Katherine Ring finished with 7. Saleena Walker had 31 digs on the night as the Bruins fall to 16-13 on the season. Next up, the team will be on the road again Thursday night as the faceoff against Johnson and Wales University in Charlotte, North Carolina.
