The Bruins volleyball team showed why they came into the NCCAA DII National Tournament as the #1 ranked team as they defeated #8 Randall University and #5 Johnson University in the opening pool play round. The Bruins dropped just one set on the day in an all-around great performance for the team.
"It was a good first day for us," Bruins Head Coach Vickie Denny said. "Getting the first match done and won was a great start and then for us to respond after dropping a set the way we did capped a good win for us today."
The Bruins played two of the three pool play matches on Thursday. In their first match of the day, the Bruins faced #8 Randall University. Brooke Beaver helped spark an early run for the team with a kill as the Bruins jumped out to an 11-4 lead in the opening set. Lauren Mukenschnabl had a great serving streak as the Bruins continued to push their lead. The Saints had a short run, but it was too little, too late as the Bruins took set one 25-15.
Another great serve streak by Mukenschnabl opened the second set for the Bruins as they again built an early 8-3 lead. The Bruins did a great job of finding the holes in the Saints defense as they continued to hold the upper hand. A kill by Katherine Ring sparked a 6-0 run for the Bruins and they never looked back as they took set two 25-17 to lead the match 2-0.
With their backs against the wall, it was the Saints who came out strong in the early stages of the third set as they jumped out to a 7-3 lead over BJU. The Bruins were able to regain their composure as Beaver and Ring recorded kills to help spark a 7-1 run as the Bruins re-took the lead 10-9. Still, the Saints remained close as they tried to avoid the sweep. The Bruins wouldn't be denied as Ring made an emphatic kill to complete the sweep with a 25-19 win in set three.
In their second match of the day, the Bruins would be paired with #5 seeded Johnson University (TN). A pair of kills by Brooke Beaver helped the Bruins take the early lead as the team went up 5-1 to start the opening set. It seemed like each point for the Royals was answered by multiple points for the Bruins as they continued to keep a safe lead. Two pairs of kills by Beaver and Ring helped the Bruins complete a dominant opening win to the match as BJU took set one 25-12.
The two teams traded points early on in set two as the score was tied 5-5. The Royals had a few errors followed by an ace by Courtney Bates as the Bruins took a slim lead. The Royals didn't back down as they kept the score close. Beaver continued to be the difference offensively for the Bruins as she came up with several key kills to help the team win set two 25-17 to lead the match 2-0.
The Bruins eyed their second sweep of the day as they took the court for set three. The Royals had other plans as Johnson University stormed out to an early 11-5 lead. The Bruins clawed their way back into the set with kills from Beaver and Rachel Williams but still the Royals maintained the upper hand. Danielle Quesinberry played a key role for the Royals as multiple aces helped JU close out the set to win 25-20. The match was still in favor of the Bruins at 2-1.
In the fourth set, the Bruins shook off the frustrations of dropping set three and roared back with a 7-1 start to the final set. The Bruins continued to ride their momentum as they took advantage of the Royals errors to stretch their lead 12-2. It looked as though the Bruins would cruise to victory in the final set but the Royals mounted a dramatic comeback in the late stages as they battled back to trail BJU 23-20. Brooke Beaver wouldn't let the set slip away as she came up with a kill to seal the victory 25-22 as the Bruins won the match 3-1.
Beaver had an incredible second match for the Bruins with 22 kills. She finished the day with 33 kills to go along with 33 digs. Rachel Williams also had a strong day setting for the Bruins with 83 assists. Defensively, the Bruins played well with nearly 150 combined digs on the day.
With the wins, the Bruins set themselves up well to advance to their second straight final four. The team will finish pool play tomorrow as they face #4 seeded Emmaus Bible College. The Bruins will then play in one of two semi-final matches on Friday night.
