After suffering a tough road loss on Tuesday night, the Bruins volleyball team responded with a dominant performance on Thursday night as the team swept Columbia College 3-0 in the Davis Field House. With the win, the Bruins improve to 11-2 on the season and remain unbeaten at home at 7-0.
"I thought our team responded very well after a tough loss earlier in the week," Bruins Head Coach Vickie Denny said. "We didn't have any energy on Tuesday night and tonight we came ready to play and loved what they were doing."
The victory was extra special for the Bruins as the team dedicated the match to the fight against Alzheimer's. The team wore purple shirts during warmups that read "Attack Alzheimer's." For team captain Laura Gaston, the night was memorable in honoring her grandmother who had passed away from the disease in 2008. Gaston spoke about the team's desire to raise awareness about the disease.
As the match began, the Koalas took the first two points but Brooke Beaver turned the tide with a key dig that eventually set up Emma Riddle with a kill which stopped the Koalas rally. From there, the Bruins stormed ahead with a 10-0 run for the Bruins that gave them a 13-4 lead.
Following a timeout by the Koalas, the Bruins kept their foots on the gas pedal as kills by Katherine Ring, Brooke Beaver, and Laura Gaston increased the Bruin lead to 21-6. Despite four straight points by the Koalas at the end of the set, the Bruins ended the run and won the first set 25-10.
The Bruins carried momentum into the second set as they jumped to an early 2-0 lead. A kill by Laura Gaston and an ace by Brooke Beaver put the Bruins up 9-3. However, the Koalas were determined to keep the set close, scoring three straight points to make it 9-6. The Bruins came right back as Katherine Ring ended the Koalas' scoring streak with an impressive kill.
For some time, the set went back and forth as both teams refused to back down. Then, following another mini run by the Koalas, Victoria Glaze came up with a momentum-shifting kill to give the Bruins a 19-12 lead. From there, the Bruins finished and won the set on a 7-1 run, taking the second set 25-13. With that victory, the Bruins led the match 2-0.
As the Lady Bruins found out in their last game, a 2-0 lead is never safe; this time, they were not going to give the Koalas any hope of winning. Thanks to two aces and a kill by Brooke Beaver, the Bruins opened the third set on a 6-0 run. The Koalas called a quick timeout, but Saleena Walker left her mark on the game, serving three straight aces as the Bruins now held a commanding 13-1 lead. The team never looked back as kills by Laura Gaston, Brittany Annand, and Katherine Ring, allowed the Bruins to cruise to a 25-6 win in the third set to sweep the match 3-0.
The Bruins dominated the match concerning aces, landing 14 throughout the match. Saleena Walker led the team with 6 aces and rounded out her stats with 17 digs. Brittany Annand did everything for the Bruins, totaling 31 assists, two blocks, and ten digs.
Next up, the Bruins will be on the road in Cleveland, Georgia on Saturday for a tri-match. The team will face Allen University at 1 p.m. followed by Truett-McConnell University at 3 p.m.
