The Bruins volleyball team is headed back to the NCCAA DII National Championsihp after the team swept #7 Randall University in the semifinal match. Earlier in the day, the Bruins had advanced to the final four after sweeping #4 Johnson University (TN) in straight sets.
"We talked about it in the locker room in that we don't win and our season is over," Bruins Head Coach Vickie Denny said after the team advanced to their second straight championship game. "We weren't ready for our season to be over. It was a great match to watch and really was back and forth and it gave merit to a great semifinal in the national tournament."
The Bruins entered the national tournament as the #1 seed and won both of their opening pool play matches over #8 Manhattan Christian College and #5 Arlington Baptist University on Wednesday. Before the semifinal, the Bruins needed to play one final pool play match on Thursday as they battled #4 Johnson University (TN).
In the opening set, the two teams traded points before the Royals went on a run to lead 10-4. The Bruins answered back with a run of their own as a pair of kills from Brooke Beaver allowed the Bruins to battle back. Eventually, the team would regain the lead thanks to a kill by Katherine Ring. The team completed the comeback as Laura Gaston put down a kill to win the opening set 25-22 over the Royals.
The Bruins came out with more composure in the second set as they used another kill by Ring to lead 6-3. The Bruins maintained their lead thanks to several Royals errors. After an ace by Saleena Walker the Bruins took a 19-15 lead and closed out the set well to win 25-18 and take a 2-0 match lead.
With their backs against the wall, the Royals stormed out to a 6-1 lead thanks to kills from Ariana Smith and Jensen Davis. The Bruins slowly chipped away at the Royals lead as kills by Victoria Glaze and Emma Riddle helped the Bruins even the score 8-8.
The two teams went back and forth with several lead changed before Danielle Quesinberry made a kill for the Royals to tie the set at 20-20. The Bruins scored the next three points thanks to an ace by Glaze as they went on to win the set 25-21 and the match 3-0.
Laura Gaston led the Bruins with 11 kills in the match while Brooke Beaver and Katherine Ring each finished with eight. Four players were in double-digits for the Bruins in digs with Saleena Walker leading the team with 27.
With the win, the Bruins advanced to the final four where they would face #7 Randall University who had been the surprise team of the tournament. The Saints with an upset win in the opening round over #2 seeded Maranatha Baptist University before upsetting #3 Geneva College in a tiebreaker set to advance to the final four. The Saints were hoping the clock wouldn't strike midnight on what had been a stellar tournament for them to that point.
Saleena Walker started the opening set with an ace and the Bruins got kills from Laura Gaston and Brooke Beaver as they jumped out to a 4-2 lead. Although the teams traded points, the Bruins continued to maintain a slim lead.
Near the midway point of the set, the Bruins went on a 6-0 run thanks to back to back kills by Beaver and errors by the Saints. The hole was too much for Randall to overcome as the Bruins took the opening set 25-15.
The score remained close early on in set two but this time the Saints held the slight edge. Brooke Beaver fueled another 6-0 run for the team with a kill and back to back aces as the Bruins stormed back to lead 12-10.
With momentum, the Bruins continued to stretch their lead thanks to stellar play up front by Katherine Ring who finished the match with five solo blocks. As a result, the Bruins pushed their lead to 19-13 and never looked back as they took the second set 25-17 thanks to Emma Riddle finishing the set with a kill.
A trip to the national title was just one set away, but the Saints came out strong as they led 6-3 early on. After a kill by Gaston, an ace by Beaver, and a big block by Emma Riddle, the Bruins had fought back to tie 6-6. Another big run in the middle of the set was fueled by kills from Glaze and Ring as the Bruins led 13-8.
From there, the Bruins matched the Saints point for point eventually taking a 21-14 lead after a kill by Ring. The Saints tried to mount one last charge to stay in the match as they scored four straight points to trail 21-18. The Bruins wouldn't be denied Brooke Beaver pounded an emphatic cross-court kill for the final point to win the set 25-20 and complete the sweep.
"Randall is a great defensive team with some great offensive weapons," Coach Denny said. "It's been a great season so far and this team has been so fun to be around and to coach. Tomorrow is just the icing on the cake and we get the opportunity to play in the NCCAA's final match of the season. We're going to come out, enjoy it, and give it our best and see if we can win another national title."
Brooke Beaver turned in a dominant performance with 13 kills, 4 aces, and 18 digs in the win. Katherine Ring also was stellar for the Bruins both offensively and defensively as she finished with 10 kills and big blocks throughout the match.
Next up, the Bruins will compete in the NCCAA DII National Championship on Friday at 1 p.m. The team will face #2 seeded Maranatha Baptist University in a rematch of the 2018 national championship game.
