The Bruins volleyball team punched their ticket to the national tournament as the team swept #3 Pensacola Christian College 3-0 to capture their fourth straight NCCAA DII South Region Championship.
"This region championship is extra special especially for our seniors," Bruins Head Coach Vickie Denny said. "Four years ago, our seniors won the first-ever region title for our program here. To come back and finish with their fourth straight championship where it all began was an awesome experience."
The Bruins came into the region tournament as the #1 seed and defeated #4 Johnson University (FL) in the semifinal match 3-0. The Eagles came into the championship match as the #3 seed as the team swept #6 seeded Trinity Baptist College in the quarterfinals before upsetting #2 seeded Toccoa Falls College in a five-set thriller in the semifinal match. The Bruins and Eagles met earlier in the season with the Bruins winning 3-1 in Greenville on September 6.
The Bruins walked on the court having won the past three region titles. However, to get a fourth the team would have to beat their rival on their home court at Arlin R. Sports Center.
In the opening set, the Bruins came out strong as Laura Gaston provided a kill to help the team take a 4-0 lead. The Eagles answered back with a run as Baylee Jensen recorded three straight kills to help PCC rally to lead 7-5.
The Bruins got a boost from Katherine Ring as the team went on an 8-1 run with Ring picking up multiple kills as she picked apart the Eagles defense. As a result, the Bruins led 18-11. The Eagles tried to answer back, but the Bruins had seized momentum as they closed out the opening set with another kill from Ring to win 25-16.
In the second set, the Bruins again took an early lead thanks to great serving by Hannah Prince as the team jumped out to a 7-2 advantage. Near the midway point of the set, the Bruins went on a 7-0 run thanks to a kill by Laura Gaston, an ace by Saleena Walker and several unforced errors by the Eagles. With a large lead, the Bruins never looked back as Ring again ended the set with a kill to help the Bruins take a 2-0 lead, winning the second set 25-12.
The three-time defending region champs were just one set away from the title. The Eagles tried avoid the sweep as they exchanged points with the Bruins early on with the score remaining close. Prince again provided a strong serve as the Bruins scored five-straight points to take a 9-5 lead. The Eagles answered back with a run of their own as the set was tied 13-13.
With the set coming to a close, both teams pushed to gain the upper hand but neither was able to pull away. A kill by Katherine Ring and an ace by Victoria Glaze helped the Bruins take a 21-18 lead. The Eagles scored three of the next four points as BJU led 22-21.
Laura Gaston came up with a crucial kill for the Bruins before the team moved to match point thanks to a attack error by the Eagles. Brooke Beaver finished off the match as she put down an emphatic kill to give the Bruins the sweep and their fourth straight region championship, winning the set 25-22 and the match 3-0.
"Today our team played with great focus and purpose," Coach Denny said. "Our serve-serve receive game was stellar and we were able to keep PCC out of their system for most of the match. It was a total team effort."
Katherine Ring had a dominant performance as she recorded 15 kills with a .565 hitting percentage. Brittany Annand had a strong match for the Bruins as well with 43 assists while Brooke Beaver and Saleena Walker each finished with 13 digs.
With the win, the Bruins will advance to the NCCAA DII National Tournament in Greenville, South Carolina. The team will await the final seeding for the tournament which will be decided by the NCCAA championship committee in the coming week.
