The defending national champion Bruins women's volleyball team picked up where they left off last season as the team captured back-to-back wins on Friday evening to open the 2019 regular season. The Bruins defeated Roanoke College (3-1) in their opening match before defeating Averett University (3-1) in Danville, Virginia.
"These were great team wins for us tonight," Bruins Head Coach Vickie Denny said. "We had different people stepping forward at different times which proved to be crucial in us getting the win."
In two preseason exhibitions, the Bruins had held their own with a win and a loss as they prepared for the season. The team came into Friday's games down a key player as All-American Katherine Ring was sidelined due to injury. Still, the Bruins were confident and looked to some of the underclassmen to step up as they took the court against the Maroons of Roanoke College.
As the match began, the Bruins found themselves in an early hole before Brooke Beaver recorded three straight kills to get the Bruins back into the set. Freshmen Emma Riddle had a strong debut for the team, playing well both offensively and defensively as the Bruins maintained a slim lead. Another freshman sealed a set one victory as Victoria Glaze pounded home a kill to give the Bruins a 25-20 win in the opening set.
The Bruins carried that momentum into the second set as two aces by Saleena Walker and a kill by Riddle allowed the team to jump out to a 9-2 lead. This set, it was the Maroons who came clawing back on a rally as they eventually tied the set at 15-15.
Both teams went back and forth before Abby Plew recorded a kill for the Bruins to make it 22-20, forcing Roanoke into a timeout. Despite the attempt to get the Bruins out of their rhythm, it proved ineffective as the team once again edged the Maroons to win the second set 25-21.
With a sweep in sight, the Bruins came out looking to close out the match. The Maroons had other plans as they went on a five point run to take a 10-5 lead over BJU. The Maroons continued to pick apart the Bruins defense, outscoring the team 17-4 to take a commanding 20-9 lead. Unfortunately, the Bruins couldn't recover as they fell in the third set 25-13. The two teams headed into a fourth set with BJU leading 2-1.
The Maroons carried their third set momentum into the fourth as they built a 5-1 advantage to begin the set. The Bruins remained poised and calm and began to find their rhythm again as kills by Beaver, Glaze and Riddle brought the team back to tie the set 7-7. From there, the two teams traded points back and forth with neither able to build a sizable lead.
After a kill by Jeanna Bush, the Bruins had match point at 24-22, but two straight attack errors by the Bruins tied the set again at 24-24. Coach Denny called a timeout, urging her team to close out the match for the win. The Maroons would help the Bruins as a service error gave the Bruins match point 25-24 and an attack error by Roanoke ended the match with the Bruins winning 26-24 and the match 3-1.
Emma Riddle powered the Bruins with 11 kills and 5 blocks while Saleena Walker helped the Bruins with three aces in the match and 28 digs.
With a quick break, the Bruins were back on the court as they faced the host school for the tournament in Averett University. Although the Bruins had battled in a tough match just minutes earlier, fatigue didn't seem to slow them down as kills by Brooke Beaver again allowed the Bruins to jump out to an early lead.
The Cougars were able to bite back as a 6-0 run swung the set back in favor of Averett as they led 10-8. The Bruins continued to remain close, but couldn't seem to sustain their offensive attack as the Cougars went on to win the opening set 25-22.
In the second set, the one-two punch of Abby Plew and Brooke Beaver helped the Bruins offensively as the duo combined for several kills to keep the Bruins in the set. Still, the Cougars wouldn't let the Bruins slip away and matched the team point for point. A kill by Beaver and an ace by Brittany Annand gave the Bruins a 20-17 lead and forced the Cougars into a timeout. Out of the timeout, kills by Annand and Plew allowed the Bruins to answer back as they evened the set 1-1 with a 25-22 win.
The Bruins were able to build a lead to open the third set, but it didn't last long as the Cougars came right back to keep the score close. During the next sequence of plays, each team went back and forth with neither scoring more than a point or two in a row. Still, the Bruins maintained the upperhand thanks to kills by Riddle and Beaver as they took a 16-13 lead.
A timeout proved to be just what the Cougars needed as they answered with a 6-1 run to take a 19-17 advantage over BJU. This time, it was the Bruins turn to take a timeout with a similar result as the team came out of the break with three straight points to regain the lead. With the crucial third set coming to a close, the Cougars looked to take a 2-1 lead in the match as they got to set point 24-23 after a kill by Zamyiah Mangum. The Bruins responded as a service error tied the set before Riddle and Beaver provided the kills and Walker the ace to help the Bruins battle back to win the set 27-25. The Bruins now led the match 2-1.
Momentum had clearly swung in favor of BJU as the Bruins opened the fourth set with an 8-2 lead. Brooke Beaver couldn't be stopped by the Cougars defense as she picked apart the defense with great kills. The Cougars tried to stop the Bruins momentum, but BJU wouldn't be denied as they finished off the fourth set 25-12 to win the match 3-1 and improve to 2-0 to conclude the opening day of the season.
"I was proud of our team for regaining their composure after we dropped that first set," Coach Denny said. "They battled back and forth and were able to come back and win three straight. Overall, a great performance for our team and we look forward to getting back out there tomorrow."
In the win over Averett University, Brooke Beaver played an incredible match with 21 kills and 10 digs to record a double-double. Brittany Annand had a nice touch for the team with 37 assists in the match while Saleena Walker recorded 32 digs.
Next up, the Bruins will be back in action tomorrow morning in Danville for two more matches before heading home. The team will play against William Peace University at 10 a.m. before playing Southern Virginia University at noon.
