Another win is in the books as the Lady Bruins defeated rival Pensacola Christian College 3-2 on Friday night. The Bruins pushed their winning streak to eleven in a row and gave the fans their money's worth all in one night. Over 1,000 fans packed into the Davis Field House in what was a spirited match.

In the first set, the Bruins struggled to hold a consistent serve although their hitting was strong. Saleena Walker broke the one and done streak with two successful serves as the team trailed PCC 7-5. Katherine Ring, Jordan Anderson and Brooke Beaver helped control the front line, both in hitting and blocking. An uncontested kill from Beaver set the Bruins on fire. Kill after kill, block after block, the Bruins' score continued to rise. The Bruins' continued their run before forcing PCC to call a timeout as the score was 20-13 in favor of BJU. The timeout couldn't slow the Bruins as they blazed through the remaining points to win the set 25-15.

The second set didn't fare so well for the Bruins. The team started out with multiple errors into the net or out of bounds. Still, the Bruins remained within striking distance as PCC led 14-11. Coach Denny called her first timeout to bring the team back together and it seemed to work as Ring sparked a rally with some strong kills and solid blocks. Courtney Bates brought the team back into the race with four consecutive serves, tying the score 21-21. However, the Bruins weren't able to overcome the Eagles momentum as they lost the second set 25-22 tying the match at 1-1. The loss was the first set the Bruins had dropped in the 2018 season. 

After the humbling second set, the Bruins fought hard against PCC as well as the mental block caused by the loss of the second set. They began the third set in the hole again, but the team was able to battle back to tie the set at 10-10. After that, the game was extremely close. The Bruin faithful went crazy as Ring blocked and killed the ball to win the serve over and over again. After a short Eagles run, Lauren Mukenschnabl pulled the team back up with a run of four serves to help the team take the lead 20-19. Saleena Walker finished the set with an ace as the Bruins won 25-22 to take a 2-1 lead.

The Eagles came clawing back in the fourth set as they again built an early lead 14-9. Coach Denny called a timeout and the Bruins answered as Laura Gaston won the next point with a great block at the net. Although the serve was immediately lost, Gaston won it back again with a well-placed kill. The Eagles refused to relinquish their lead as they held on to force a fifth and final set by winning 25-22. 

The fifth set was a thriller as points went back and forth. Katherine Ring and Brooke Beaver kept the Bruins in the lead with powerful kills as BJU held the upper hand. Sensing the match was slipping away, the Eagles called a timeout hoping to stop the Bruins' momentum. It didn't work. The Bruins built a 14-12 advantage and Katherine Ring put the exclamation point on a great win as she smashed a block at the net to win the set 15-12 and the match 3-2.  

"This was a good growth game for us because it did push us," Coach Denny said. She was very proud of her team and how they were able to come back in the fifth set. "Fans always ask for a player of the game and I laughed because tonight it was the whole team."

Brooke Beaver and Katherine Ring lead the Bruins with 15 kills each while Brittany Annand had 36 assists. Saleena Walker protected the team with 30 digs and led the team in serving aces. Pocketing another "W," the Bruins move to a perfect 11-0 to start the season as the team remains undefeated in region play with a 6-0 record. The Lady Bruins will play next at Erskine College in Due West, South Carolina on Tuesday night.