The Lady Bruins volleyball team closed out their two-day road trip strong as they split their Saturday matches against Ohio Christian University and West Liberty University. The Bruins move to 14-2 on the season as they played four matches in the last three days.
"I am very pleased with our team's performance on this road trip," Bruins Head Coach Vickie Denny said. "We knew going in that we would be stretched and challenged by good programs and we were!"
The Bruins swept Kentucky Christian University on Friday night thanks to a great defensive effort. On Saturday, the team picked up where they left off as they took the court against the OCU Trailblazers for the first match of the day.
Both teams remained close in the opening set with neither able to build a sizable lead. Brooke Beaver again was strong for the Bruins on the attack as she had several kills to help the team. The Bruins were able to make a late run to close out the opening set winning 25-17.
With momentum, the Bruins came out strong again in the second set. The team was able to execute some good blocks up front thanks to Jordan Anderson and Katherine Ring. As a result, the Bruins took set two by the same score as set one with a 25-17 victory and a 2-0 match lead.
The team kept up their strong play on both sides as offense and defense worked together to again build a lead. The Bruins were able to find holes in the Trailblazer defense as they went on to complete the sweep with a 25-19 victory in set three.
For the second match of the day, the Bruins would be matched against West Liberty University (NCAA DII). The Hilltoppers entered the match with a 13-3 record and their size advantage up front proved to be a difficult matchup for the Bruins.
In the opening set, both teams went back and forth as the score remained close. The Hilltoppers were able to make a key run late in the set and the Bruins couldn't recover as they dropped the opening set to WLU 25-19.
As the second set began, the Bruins looked to find a way to hit around the Hilltoppers size up front. Brooke Beaver led the way for the team with 10 kills in the match, but the team couldn't seem to close out as the Hilltoppers again used a run to take the second set 25-18.
The Bruins looked to claw their way back into the match in the third set and got some great play from several players. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be enough as the Hilltoppers completed the sweep with a 25-19 victory in the final set to hand the Bruins their second loss of the season.
"This weekend was a great step forward for our program," Coach Denny said. "We competed at high level and were able to hang with bigger and better teams."
On the day, Brooke Beaver led the Bruins with 18 kills while Jordan Anderson had 10. Rachel Williams had 39 assists on the day while Saleena Walker lead the defense with 42 digs. The Bruins will be back in action on Tuesday night as the team welcomes Converse College to the Davis Field House at 7 p.m.
