The Bruins volleyball team kept up their winning ways on Friday night as they team defeated Erskine College (3-1) and Methodist University (3-0) to pushing their winning streak to eight in a row. With the wins, the Bruins improve to 10-1 on the season.
"These were some good wins for our team," Bruins Head Coach Vickie Denny said. "We had the opportunity to compete against two very good programs and I thought different players contributed at key times throughout each match to help us get the win."
The Bruins came into the match after sweeping rival Toccoa Falls College in Georgia on Tuesday night to remain unbeaten in region play. For the first of the two matches, the Bruins were paired with Erskine College.
In the opening set, Brittany Annand started the team off with an ace as the Bruins stormed out to a 6-1 lead. Freshman Victoria Glaze was dominant offensively for the Bruins as she recorded multiple kills in the opening set as the Bruins pulled away to win 25-12.
As the second set began, costly errors by the Bruins allowed the Flying Fleet to build a 5-2 lead. After a kill by Katherine Ring, Erskine went on a 5-0 run to take a 13-5 advantage. The Bruins refused to quit as kills by Glaze, Ring and Laura Gaston fueled a run as the team roared back to trail 18-17. The Flying Fleet were able to score the next three points and held on to even the match at 1-1 winning the second set 25-20.
Brittany Annand again gave the Bruins the serving boost to start the set as the junior recorded two aces to give the Bruins a 4-0 lead. The Fleet responded with a run as they came back to lead 7-5. Glaze again carried the Bruins offensively as the freshman had 13 kills in the match. Her efforts brought the Bruins back and Brooke Beaver closed it out for the team as the Bruins won the third set 25-17.
With victory in their sights, the Bruins came out looking to close out the Fleet and it showed as BJU stormed out to an 11-2 lead. Saleena Walker and Brooke Beaver added kills at the midway point of the set and despite a short run by the Fleet, the deficit was too much to overcome as the Bruins finished off the match 3-1 by winning the fourth set 25-16.
"We were really excited about getting to play Erskine again," Coach Denny said. "We had played them down at their place last season and we really didn't play our best game. So to get them at our place and to play well was great to see for our team."
Victoria Glaze had 13 kills in the match while Brittany Annand had another great game with 39 assists. Seniors Lauren Mukenschnabl and Saleena Walker led the team defensively as the pair combined for 40 digs.
In the second match of the day, the Bruins battled Methodist University who came into the match at 0-5. Kills by Brooke Beaver and Emma Riddle helped the Bruins take an early lead over the Monarchs. Methodist came right back with a run as they took an 8-5 lead. The Bruins answered back with kills from Gaston and aces from Walker and Annand as the Bruins went on a 10-4 run to take an 18-15 lead. The team continued to carry momentum as they went on to win the opening set 25-18.
Laura Gaston powered the Bruins to an early lead with two kills to open the second set. The Monarchs continued to keep the score close as they refused to let the Bruins run away. After an ace by Brooke Beaver, the Bruins led 15-11. The Monarchs scored the next three points but service and attack errors by Methodist gave the Bruins points. Brooke Beaver recorded three straight kills to close out the set for BJU as the Bruins won the second set 25-16.
With their backs against the wall, the Monarchs continued to fight and it showed as they took a 3-0 lead to start set three. The Bruins grabbed momentum right back with a 7-1 run fueled by kills from Gaston and Glaze. The Monarchs came clawing back with a short run, but another 8-1 run for the Bruins proved to be decisive as the team closed out the third set 25-15 and sweep the match 3-0.
"Our pass and defense were great tonight," Bruins freshmen Victoria Glaze said. "It was a team effort tonight. It shows up on our stats but this really was a team win tonight. Our team is very good at encouraging each other and that encouragement helps us to get back focused to close it out."
Laura Gaston led the Bruins with 11 kills in the match while Brooke Beaver finished with 9 and Katherine Ring with 8. The Bruins had 10 aces in the win as their serve game proved to be very effective against Methodist University.
With the win, the Bruins improve to 10-1 on the season and will be on the road on Tuesday night as the team travels to Demorest, Georgia, for a matchup with Piedmont College.
