The Lady Bruins retained their undefeated streak, taking down the Toccoa Falls Eagles in three sets that kept fans on their toes. The Bruins now hold a 10-0 winning streak for the season and are a perfect 5-0 in region play. The team is also a perfect 30-0 in sets played this season.
The first set began with a few quick point exchanges before the Bruins were able take the lead as Lauren Mukenschnabl sparked the team with a strong serve forcing the Eagles to call a timeout at 7-3. The Bruins lost the serve directly after the timeout but were quickly back on their feet with a serving run by Courtney Bates bringing the score to 13-4. The Eagles were forced to call another timeout in order to stop the Bruins run but Brooke Beaver had several powerful cross-court kills as the Bruins finished the set 25-16.
In the second set, the Bruins dug a quick hole as the Eagles took the lead. Coach Denny called a timeout when the score hit 3-9. The Bruins continued to struggle due to missed kills but the team was able to get back on track after a couple kills and a few serves from Rachel Williams, bringing the score 11-15. The rest of the team sharpened up and the score drew closer. The Bruins eventually took the lead at 19-17 with a kill and four successful serves from Beaver. The game was very close from that point forward. The Bruins would lose serve, then win it right back with a kill. The lead went back and forth until Denny called a timeout at 24-23. The set was won by a sly setter dump from Williams as the Bruins took a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Bruins and Eagles went back and forth to begin the third set. The Bruins looked for the sweep while the Eagles fought to stay alive in the match. Saleena Walker held a short serving streak until the Eagles called a timeout at 12-9. Beaver quickly won the serve back with a killer cross-court hit. Williams maintained a four-point serving streak until Eagles' timeout at 17-10. Beaver was ready and won serve again with a well-placed push. The serve went to Beaver and she repeatedly pounded the ball over the net. After a run of 7 serves, Beaver finished the game 25-12 with a beautiful ace.
"I'm very encouraged with our comeback in the second set," Bruins Head Coach Vickie Denny said. "We were down by quite a bit and made a lot of errors, but we didn't hang our heads. Even when we get down we're able to get back up. I think they showed a lot of character in the second set and that kind of made the game."
Brooke Beaver led the Bruins with 10 kills on the night while Rachel Williams led the team with 25 assists. Saleena Walker had 22 digs to lead the Bruins defensively. With the win, the Bruins move to 10-0 on the season. Next up, the team will welcome Pensacola Christian College on Friday night at 7 p.m.
