The Bruins volleyball team advanced to their fourth-straight NCCAA DII South Region Championship as the team swept #4 seeded Johnson University (FL) 3-0.
"Johnson had a solid serve receive team and very good ball control in the match," Bruins Head Coach Vickie Denny said. "We had to be patient on offense and work through different options. We also had a solid performance on the defensive side to get the win."
The Bruins entered the tournament as the top seed after finishing the regular season with a perfect region record. The Bruins and Suns met early in the season in Greenville with the Bruins winning in straight sets. In the quarterfinals, the Suns had defeated #5 seeded Trinity College of Florida to advance to the semifinal. A trip to the region championship was on the line as the two teams took the court.
In the opening set, the Bruins came out strong as kills by Brooke Beaver and Laura Gaston helped the team build a 7-3 lead. The Bruins kept up the pressure as three kills by Beaver increased the lead 14-7 near the midway point of the set. The Suns tried to climb back into the set, but several unforced errors crippled Johnson University (FL) as the Bruins took the opening set 25-13.
The two teams exchanged points early on in the second set with the score remaining close. Victoria Glaze helped spark a 6-1 run for the Bruins as she recorded a kill and an ace to put the Bruins up 9-5. The Suns answered back but another big run by the Bruins put the set out of reach as the Bruins took the second set 25-12 to go up 2-0 in the match.
With a trip to the championship in their sights, the Bruins stormed out thanks to three kills by Beaver as the team took a 6-1 lead. The Bruins kept the momentum as Emma Riddle and Victoria Glaze made kills to make it 11-3.
The Suns were able to claw their way back into the set Brittney Rittenhouse made a kill to cut into the Bruins lead 16-10. Beaver stopped the rally with three straight aces as the Bruins went on to close out the match with a 25-16 win in the third set to sweep Johnson University (FL) 3-0.
Brooke Beaver led the Bruins with 11 kills and four aces in the match while Katherine Ring added 7 kills. Victoria Glaze and Saleena Walker combined for 31 digs as the Bruins advance to their fourth straight region championship.
The Bruins will face #3 seeded Pensacola Christian College on Saturday in Pensacola, Florida. The match is set to begin at 2 p.m. (EST).
