The Bruins volleyball team was on the road on Saturday afternoon as they played in their first tri-match of the 2020 season. The Bruins battled Johnson University (TN) in the first match, but came up short in a five-set thriller 3-2. The Bruins responded well with a 3-0 sweep of Alice Lloyd College to round out the day of competition.
"We knew going in that Johnson would give us a tough match and they did," Bruins Head Coach Vickie Denny said. "We were very slow beginning the match and dug a hole to deep to recover. I liked the way we regrouped and fought back to take the next two sets. Unfortunately for us, in set four we had too many unforced errors which allowed them back into the match. In the end Johnson outperformed our efforts today and deserved the win."
The Bruins first faced Johnson University (TN), who came into the match at 3-1 overall. In the opening set, the Bruins and Royals went back and forth before Johnson took the lead thanks to several unforced errors by the Bruins. BJU couldn't seem to recover as the Royals took the opening set 25-18.
In the second set, the Bruins began to find their rhythm as Brooke Beaver and Victoria Glaze came up with kills to give the Bruins the upper hand. Although the Royals came charging back, this time the Bruins would be the winners of a 25-18 score as they evened the match 1-1.
The Bruins had grabbed momentum and it showed as they stormed out to a 9-3 lead in the third set. The Bruins were able to execute pinpoint kills and Emma Riddle and company played well at the net to keep the team on top. As a result, the Bruins took set three 25-16 as they looked to finish off the Royals in the fourth set.
The hometown team had other plans as the Bruins again found themselves falling behind due to mistakes. Kelley Wilder came up big for the Royals as she had 12 kills in the match as she helped the Royals extend their lead. The Bruins tried to claw their way back, but the Royals wouldn't be denied as they won set four 25-18 to force a fifth and final set.
With one set to decide it, both teams came out with high energy looking to get the win. The Royals were able to take the first few points of the set, forcing Coach Denny to call the early timeout. The Bruins were able to cut into the lead, but the Royals continued to take advantage of BJU mistakes as they inched closer to the win. The Bruins were able to mount one last rally, but it came up short as the Royals finished off the Bruins 15-11 to win the match 3-2.
Victoria Glaze led the Bruins with 21 kills while Emma Riddle and Brooke Beaver each had 13. Brittany Annand recorded 21 assists while Rachel Pattisal added 15. Defensively, Brooke Beaver led the Bruins with 19 digs.
In the second match of the day, the Bruins were up against Alice Lloyd College who came into the game at 2-8 on the season. The Bruins jumped out to an early lead in the first set thanks to great play by Glaze and Riddle. The Eagles came back near the midway point of the set as a kill cut the Bruins lead to 16-12. The Bruins were able to respond well as they held off the Eagles to win 25-19 in the opening set.
As the second set began, the Bruins stormed out to an early 10-3 lead thanks to a great serve game which resulted in 12 aces throughout the match. The Bruins never looked back as they went on to take the second set 25-14.
With an eye on the sweep, the Bruins again grabbed the early lead thanks to kills from Victoria Glaze and Brooke Beaver. Rachel Pattisal gave the team a boost with 14 assists in the match as the Bruins maintained their lead. The Eagles tried to come back but the Bruins were able to complete the sweep with a 25-17 win in set three.
"With such a shortened season, every match is key," Coach Denny said. "Hopefully we can continue to learn from these opportunities and come back better."
Victoria Glaze led the Bruins with 10 kills and 7 digs in the match while Kayla Oberstar notched 4 kills to go along with a team-leading 12 digs in the match. Victoria Glaze and Hannah Prince also had three aces each in the win.
Next up, the Bruins will be back home for a tri-match on October 9 as they welcome Carolina University and Life University to the Davis Field House.
