The Bruins women's volleyball team had a strong open to preseason play on Saturday as the team won each of their three scrimmages. The Bruins would be one of four programs competing over the course of the day at the Davis Field House in Greenville, South Carolina.
The other teams represented were Piedmont International University, Toccoa Falls College, and Johnson University (TN). The Bruins varsity reserve squad also competed in the scrimmages, going 1-2 overall on the day.
"It was a great day of volleyball," Bruins Head Coach Dr. Vickie Denny said. "We tried different lineups and systems which gave everyone lots of quality playing time."
The exhibitions were a chance for Coach Denny's crew to continue to build their chemistry as a unit. The team arrived for preseason training just over a week ago and with several new freshmen joining a core group of returners, the Bruins continue to build towards their season opener on August 30. Because of the amount of teams present and games to be played, the teams used a running clock to keep the day on schedule.
In the opening match of the day, the Bruins were paired with the Johnson University (TN) Royals. In the opening set, the Bruins jumped out to an early lead thanks to strong play from Katherine Ring and newcomer Victoria Glaze. The Bruins were able to pull away and never looked back as they won the opening set 25-10.
The Royals shook off their first set struggles and came right back in the second set. The lead changed several times throughout the set as neither team allowed the other to pull away. The Royals were able to edge the Bruins 25-23 to tie the match 1-1.
In the final set of the match (due to time limit), the Bruins relied on a strong serve from Victoria Glaze coupled with strong play at the net by Ring and Laura Gaston. The Bruins were able to build a 7-3 advantage which propelled them to a 15-10 victory in the final set.
The Bruins would be paired with Piedmont International University Bruins in the second match of the day. BJU won both sets in the alloted time but PIU certainly didn't make it easy. The Bruins took the opening set 25-16 and then followed it up by holding off PIU 25-18 in the second set.
For the last match of the day, the Bruins would face a familiar foe in the Toccoa Falls College Screaming Eagles. The Bruins and Eagles met three times with BJU winning each match, including the NCCAA DII South Region Championship.
In the opening set, the Bruins again were sparked by the play of several of their freshman. Victoria Glaze finished the day with seven aces and her serve helped the Bruins get into their rhythm. Still, the Eagles refused to quit and clawed their way back into the set. The Bruins held off TFC to win 25-21.
The Bruins carried that momentum into the second set as they picked apart the Eagles defense with kills. The Bruins were able to distance themselves as they won the second set 25-12, ending the match in the alloted time.
"While it is very early in our season, I liked what I saw today," Coach Denny said. "We played against two programs that were in the division two national tournament last year and the other went to their national tournament. We had a lot of different players contributing for us at different times. This strong freshmen class will only add to the great group of returners we had from last year's team."
Katherine Ring led the Bruins on the day with 20 kills while Laura Gaston and Victoria Glaze each had 16 kills. Ring also was dominant defensively with 6 blocks. Saleena Walker led the team defensively with 62 digs for the day.
Next up, the Bruins will be on the road on Tuesday in Rome, Georgia, for their final preseason exhibition. The team will face Shorter University at 4 p.m. followed by a matchup with Talladega College at 5 p.m.
