The Bruins volleyball team had a statement win on Tuesday night as the team swept Toccoa Falls College 3-0 to win their sixth straight match and move to 8-1 on the season and 5-0 in region play.
"We played a solid match tonight," Bruins Head Coach Vickie Denny said. "A win against Toccoa at their place is an extra special win. Brittany set another great match for us and others stepped up at different times to contribute."
On Tuesday, the NCCAA released their first top-ten national rankings for the 2019 season. At #1 was the BJU Bruins and at #3 Toccoa Falls College. The Screamining Eagles came into the match with a perfect 7-0 record to begin the year. The Bruins knew they were in for a tough matchup as the took the court.
In the opening set, the Bruins came out strong as Brittany Annand helped setup her teammates for kills. Brooke Beaver, Katherine Ring, and Emma Riddle each came up with big kills throughout the set as the team led 13-9 at the first timeout.
The timeout proved to be effective for the Screaming Eagles as they clawed their way back into the match to trail 19-15. The Bruins came up with the kills when they needed them the most as they held on to win the opening set 25-19.
In the second set, the two teams went back and forth with the score remaining close. Defensively, the Bruins were carried by senior Saleena Walker who was back in the lineup after missing the last few games due to injury. With the set coming to a close, the Screaming Eagles came back looking to even the match at 1-1. Instead, the Bruins again came up with timely kills as they edged Toccoa 25-23 to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Sensing a sweep, the Bruins came out strong looking to close out Toccoa. The Bruins serve was excellent throughout the match as the team recorded 11 aces. As a result, the Bruins took the lead and held off a late rally by the Screaming Eagles to win the set 25-17 and the match 3-0.
Brittany Annand led the Bruins with 35 assists in the match while Brooke Beaver finished with 9 kills and Ring and Riddle 7 each. Saleena Walker had 26 digs for the Bruins as the team stayed unbeaten in the region with the victory.
Next up, the Bruins will be back at home on Friday night for a tri-match. The team will welcome Erskine College at 3 p.m. followed by Methodist University at 7 p.m.
