Box Score
The Lady Bruins swept #2 seeded Pensacola Christian College in the NCCAA DII South Region Semifinal on Saturday morning in Toccoa Falls, Georgia. With the win, the team will advance to the South Region Championship match at 3:30 p.m. against #3 seeded Toccoa Falls College.
"I was proud of our team's character and grit today," Bruins Head Coach Vickie Denny said. "Pensacola came to play and we had several players step up for us in this one."
In the opening set, the Eagles came out on fire as they built a large lead. The Bruins tried to find an answer but the team eventually trailed 16-9, but the team found a spark behind the play of Katherine Ring as the freshman came up with several big kills on offense and blocks on defense. With momentum on their side, the Bruins clawed their way all the way back to overtake the Eagles before going on to win the set 25-23.
"That helped set the tone for the match," Coach Denny said. "We found ourselves behind on the scoreboard and we found a way to come back for the win."
As the second set began, the Bruins continued to ride their momentum as they took an early lead. The Eagles refused to back down as they remained neck and neck with BJU. Eventually, the Bruins were able to grab a slim lead and held the Eagles at bay to take the second set 25-22.
In the third set, the Bruins again found themselves playing from behind as the Eagles looked to get back into the match. The Bruins trailed by four before beginning another rally as they came back to take the lead. The two teams went back and forth with the score eventually tied at 23-23. After several ties and advantages, the Bruins were able to capitalize on the kills they needed and came up with a big block to seal the sweep as they defeated PCC 29-27 in set three to win the match 3-0.
Katherine Ring led the Bruins with 10 kills, 7 solo blocks and 3 block assists. Saleena Walker had 32 digs as the Bruins were able to combine both sides of the ball to come away with the win. The team won the 2016 region championship and will look to repeat as they battle the Eagles of Toccoa Falls College at 3:30 p.m.
