The BJU Bruins volleyball team overcame a tough atmosphere on Thursday night as the team swept Piedmont International University 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-14) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. With the win, the Lady Bruins improve to 15-3 on the season.
"I was proud of how our team came together and didn't let the circumstances of the match or the crowd affect their play," Bruins Head Coach Vickie Denny said. "Our serve was tough and we were successful in getting PIU out of their offense which helped us shut down their key hitters."
The Bruins came into Thursday's match on the heels of back to back losses including a heartbreaker on Tuesday night in a 3-2 loss to Converse College at home. It was the first time this season the Bruins had lost two straight. The Bruins knew if they were going to get back into the winning column it would be a difficult task as the PIU crowd was out in full voice to support their team.
Jordan Anderson sparked the Bruins in the opening set with back to back aces as BJU built an early 6-1 lead. PIU tried to claw their way back into the set, but attack errors allowed BJU to stretch their lead to 15-5. After kills by Katherine Ring and Brooke Beaver, BJU looked primed to take the first set as they led 21-12. PIU called a timeout and came out strong after the break on a 7-0 run to close the gap with BJU leading 22-20. A kill by Laura Gaston helped the Bruins edge closer before an attack error by PIU ended the first set with BJU winning 25-21.
In the second set, PIU rode the energy of their hometown crowd as they jumped out to an early 5-1 lead. Three straight kills by BJU and an ace from Saleena Walker helped the team battle back to tie the set at 8-8. From there, the score remained close with the lead changing several times. After the match was tied 17-17, BJU went on a 4-0 run and kept the upper hand as they closed out PIU by the same score as the first set 25-21 to take a 2-0 match lead.
PIU was back on their heels in the third set which prompted more noise from the hometown crowd. It didn't phase BJU as the Lady Bruins stormed out with an 12-1 run. Jordan Anderson powered the Bruins run with three kills during that stretch. Even after a PIU timeout, BJU came out and continued to put the pressure on as they kept a comfortable lead. Even though PIU would go on a short run near the end of the match, it wasn't enough as the BJU Bruins finished off PIU with a 25-14 win in set three and a 3-0 sweep of the match.
"It was a very loud and hostile crowd for us tonight," Coach Denny said. "We had several key hitters contributing for us throughout the match and Rachel Williams did a great job of leading our offense. A good team win for us in a tough environment."
Brooke Beaver led the team with 13 kills, 3 aces and 14 digs on the night. Jordan Anderson also had 11 kills on the night. Rachel Williams led the Bruins offense with 35 assists in the match while Saleena Walker had 25 digs to help defensively. Next up, the Bruins will have the weekend off before hitting the road again next week. The team will be back in action on Tuesday night in Spartanburg, South Carolina for a matchup with Spartanburg Methodist College.
