The Lady Bruins volleyball team captured a tough road win on Tuesday night as the team rallied from a 2-1 deficit to defeat Spartanburg Methodist College 3-2. With the win, the Bruins improve to 16-3 on the season.
The Bruins and Pioneers had met earlier in the 2018 season in Greenville with BJU sweeping SMC 3-0. The Pioneers were out for a measure of revenge as the two teams took the court in Bridges Arena in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
In the opening set, the Bruins offense was powered through the great setting of Rachel Williams as the captain delivered 49 assists over the course of the match. Her setting was key to help the offense find holes in the Pioneer defense. Even though the Bruins had a slight lead, the Pioneers refused to back down as the first set remained close. The Bruins were able to build a 16-12 lead, but the Pioneers answered with a big run as BJU led 22-21. Key points down the stretch helped the Bruins hang on to win the opening set 25-22.
The Bruins kept up their momentum as they again jumped out to a 12-8 lead in the second set. The Pioneers responded with another run thanks to several kills by Aeyane Mattress as she finished with 14 kills on the night. The run helped SMC to come back to lead 15-14. Despite the Bruins keeping it close, it was key kills by the Pioneers which allowed them to win set number two 25-22 and even the match at 1-1.
With momentum, the Pioneers came out looking to take control of the match. Again, the Bruins were able to stay close throughout the third set as Saleena Walker provided a spark defensively with several key digs for the team at crucial times. The Bruins also got great blocking from Katherine Ring at the net as the score went back and forth. After the Bruins built a 16-12 lead, the Pioneers came roaring back with another run to go up 17-16. The match eventually tied at 22-22 before SMC found the holes in the Bruins defense to take the third set 25-23 and lead the match 2-1.
The Bruins had their backs against the wall as the team knew they would have to play their best to force a fifth set. The Bruins were able to build a 15-11 lead behind solid serving and defensive play. Their run allowed them to increase their lead and the Pioneers couldn't recover as BJU won the 4th set 25-18 to force a fifth and final set.
With the match on the line, the Bruins came out strong again as they took an 8-5 lead. Despite several short runs by the Pioneers, the Bruins were able to maintain a slim lead. The team held on to win the fifth set 15-11 as they completed the comeback to win the match 3-2.
"We had some great contributions from a lot of different players tonight," Bruins Head Coach Vickie Denny said. "I am proud of this team and how they responded after being down 2-1."
Brooke Beaver led the Bruins with 15 kills on the night while the freshman also had 29 digs. Jordan Anderson and Katherine Ring each had 12 kills for the Bruins while Bates also contributed 5 aces on the night. The story of the match was the digs for the Bruins as the team had 149 as a team. Saleena Walker had 49 digs to power the Bruins defensively as the team captured a dramatic road win. Next up, the Bruins will be on the road this weekend for a tournament in Hickory, North Carolina. The Bruins will play in two matches on Friday and two matches on Saturday.
