The Lady Bruins notched their 7
th straight win on Tuesday night at the Davis Field House, sweeping the Toccoa Falls College Screaming Eagles 3-0. The Bruins now hold a 20-3 record for the season and remain undefeated at home (10-0) and in region play (6-0).
"We took them out of their offense tonight," Bruins Head Coach Vickie Denny said. "They had a hard time getting the ball to their hitters, and we were able to pick up almost everything that came across the net to us. It was a good effort from everyone tonight."
The first set opened with the Bruins and Screaming Eagles scoring two early points each (2-2). Then, thanks to several kills by Laura Gaston and two blocks by Katherine Ring, the Bruins began to pull away from Toccoa Falls. The Screaming Eagles were down 11-4 when the tandem of Laura Gaston and Katherine Ring simply took over; the two notched kill after kill, leading the Bruins on a 14-4 run to win the first set 25-8.
As the early stages of the second set progressed, the Screaming Eagles made it clear that they would not be backing down as they stood strong defensively to slow down the offensive attack of the Bruins to keep the score close at 6-5.
Brooke Beaver stepped up for the Bruins, serving an ace and collecting three kills to place the Bruins ahead 13-9. As the Screaming Eagles continued to fight back, Katherine Ring and the offense stepped up their game as well to keep them at bay (19-14). Thanks to an ace by Saleena Walker, the Bruins won the set 25-15 on a 6-1 run.
With a sweep in sight, the Bruins jumped out with three straight points to open the set. Unfortunately for the Screaming Eagles, the team gave points away to the Bruins with numerous service, passing and hitting errors. As a result, the Bruins held an early 7-2 lead.
Victoria Glaze came alive in the third set, sending in three kills to give the Bruins a 13-6 lead. From there, the Bruins completed the sweep with a 12-2 run as Brooke Beaver collected four kills, including the final point that ended the match 25-9.
"The more we play together and win the more confidence we have in each other," Bruins captain Laura Gaston said. Gaston finished the night with 10 kills in the match. Brooke Beaver also had a great night with 11 kills, 2 aces, and 18 digs.
With the win, the Bruins have now won twenty-one straight sets in this winning streak. Next up, the Bruins will travel to Columbia, South Carolina, this Thursday to face Columbia College. Earlier this season, the Bruins swept the Koalas 3-0 at the Davis Field House.
"We just have to keep doing what we have been doing," Coach Denny said. "We are playing very well as a team right now, and we need to keep playing that way."
