The Lady Bruins volleyball team pushed their winning streak to five as the team remains unbeaten to start the 2018 season. The Bruins defeated Spartanburg Methodist College 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-16) on Tuesday night in front of the hometown crowd at the Davis Field House. 

"We are clicking early in the season which is good for us," Bruins Head Coach Vickie Denny said. "We're playing very well as a team and our chemistry is good. This is a fun team to watch. They are encouraging one another and having fun." 

The Bruins came into the match having not dropped a single set to begin the season. The Pioneers looked to change that as both teams took the court. Both teams went back and forth in the early stages with several ties in the first set. The Bruins built a slim lead thanks to a strong serve by Lauren Mukenschnabl as the team went up 8-4. The Bruins scoring attack was strong as Brooke Beaver, Courtney Bates, Katherine Ring and Laura Gaston each plagued the Pioneer defense with well-placed kills. Another ace by Mukenscnabl helped spark the Bruins to close out the set well as they took the opener 25-15. 

The Pioneers jumped out to a quick lead in the second set, but the Bruins were able to battle back thanks to several attack errors by SMC. After a Courtney Bates kill, the Bruins led 10-7. The Bruins again went on a run thanks to Abby Plew and Laura Gaston each having two kills a piece to increase the lead to 18-10. From there, the Bruins never looked back as they closed out the second set 25-18 to lead the match 2-0. 

With a sweep in sight, the Bruins came out strong as Mukenschnabl recorded another ace and Brooke Beaver a kill to lead 6-3. The Pioneers closed the gap but several costly errors allowed the Bruins to increase their lead again. After a kill by Laura Gaston and an ace by Saleena Walker, the Bruins led 22-15. The Pioneers tried to mount one last run, but back to back kills from Courtney Bates sealed the Bruins third set victory 25-16 as the team swept the match 3-0. 

"We have a lot of trust in each other," Laura Gaston said. "We were trusting each other and working well together." 

Gaston led the way for the Bruins with 9 kills while Courtney Bates and Brooke Beaver each had 8. Rachel Williams provided great setting on the night with 28 assists while also providing 11 digs in the game. Brooke Beaver led the team with 16 digs while Saleena Walker added 13. 

With the win, the Bruins improve to 5-0 on the season and have won 15-straight sets. Next up, the team will be on the road in Jacksonville, Florida this weekend for the annual North/South Tip-off tournament. The team will play four other teams from the NCCAA DII South Region.