Brooke Beaver and Jordan Anderson combined for 26 kills as the Bruins defeated #2 seeded Pensacola Christian College 3-1 in the semifinal round to advance to their third straight NCCAA DII South Region Championship game. The victory was the 13th in a row for the team.
"It really was a team effort," Bruins Head Coach Vickie Denny said. "We had different players step up at different times to contribute throughout."
The Bruins came into Friday's match after a strong start to the region playoffs on Thursday with back to back sweeps over #5 Trinity College and #4 Johnson University of Florida. The #1 seeded Bruins were no stranger to the PCC Eagles as the two teams had squared off three times this season with the Bruins winning each time.
In the opening set, the Bruins started off strong as a cross-court kill by Brooke Beaver helped the Bruins build a 5-2 lead. The Eagles kept the score close before Courtney Bates had a well placed kill to spark a run for the Bruins as the team led 21-12. From there, the Bruins closed out the set as they took the opener 25-15.
The two teams went back and forth to begin the second set with neither able to gain a sizeable lead. Katherine Ring came up with a big block to give the Bruins a 9-8 advantage. Jordan Anderson also came through with a big kill as the Bruins built a five-point lead. Again, the team was able to close out the set well as they went up 2-0 in the match with a 25-19 win in the second set.
With a sweep in their sights, the Bruins came out looking to finish the Eagles. PCC had other plans as they were able to build a 10-6 lead over BJU. The Bruins came roaring back as they tied the set at 10-10. Anderson and Beaver were again dominant offensively as they picked apart the Eagles defense with kills. As a result, the Bruins went ahead 16-13. After a timeout, the Eagles came back as the two teams battled to a 20-20 tie. After Abby Plew had a well placed kill, the Bruins took a slim 23-22 lead and looked to close out the match. Instead, the Eagles rallied as they tied the Bruins 25-25 and took the momentum to win the third set 28-26. With the win, the Bruins led the match 2-1.
The Bruins came out strong to begin the fourth set as the team was determined to not let the Eagles back into the game. Another key kill by Beaver helped the Bruins take a 11-8 lead. From there, the Bruins kept the pressure on as they went on a run to increase their lead 19-11. That run proved to be the difference as the Eagles never recovered with the Bruins winning the fourth set 25-14 and the match 3-1.
"So many players helped us win this one," Coach Denny said. "Rachel had a solid match setting for us and Brooke had another double-double. Courtney and Abby came in at different times and made some key plays as our middles in Katherine and Jordan."
Brooke Beaver led the Bruins with 16 kills and 15 digs in the match. Jordan Anderson also had a strong day with 10 kills. Rachel Williams had 46 assists and three aces in the match. Saleena Walker was one of three Bruins to reach double digits in digs as the junior had 17 in the victory.
Next up, the Bruins will battle #3 seeded Toccoa Falls College on Saturday for the NCCAA DII South Region Championship. The match is set to begin at 12 p.m. in New Port Richey, Florida.
