The Lady Bruins responded well after a tough five-set loss on Friday night as the team swept Toccoa Falls College in straight sets on Saturday afternoon in Toccoa Falls, Georgia. With the win, the Bruins improve to 2-1 on the season and a 2-0 record in region play.
"Toccoa struggled early in the match and we were able to take advantage with solid serving," Bruins Head Coach Vickie Denny said. "As the match progressed, Toccoa got into a rhythm and improved their play. At the end, we had some big blocks by our two middle blockers that helped us seal the win."
Less than 18 hours ago, the Bruins were on the court as they fell in a hard-fought match to Carolina University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The team was back on the road on Saturday in Georgia as they faced Toccoa Falls College. Last week, the two teams squared off in Greenville with the Bruins winning their home opener in a 3-0 sweep of the Screaming Eagles.
In the opening set, the Bruins came out strong behind the serving of Brittany Annand as the senior provided four aces to help the Bruins lead 6-0. The Screaming Eagles tried to get back into the set, but the Bruins kept the lead thanks to kills from Victoria Glaze, Brooke Beaver, and Faith Rahn. This forced TFC to call a timeout with the Bruins leading 15-2.
Out of the timeout, the Bruins went right back to work as back to back aces by Glaze and a kill by Emma Riddle pushed the lead. The Bruins never looked back as they closed out the opening set 25-8.
The Bruins again took an early lead in set two thanks to kills from Beaver and Riddle as the team led 6-3. The Bruins serving continued to be effective as two aces by Timbre Cruz helped the Bruins build a 14-6 lead and force TFC into another timeout. The Bruins again kept the momentum as they pushed ahead to close out set two with a score of 25-12 to lead the match 2-0.
With an eye on the sweep, the Bruins came out confident in set three and again Annand provided the early spark with three straight aces to open the set. The Screaming Eagles refused to back down and came back to tie the set at 7-7 thanks to kills from Halle Rainwater and an ace from Jordan Reed.
The Bruins responded with a 5-0 run but TFC answered right back as they score remained close throughout the third set. A kill by Brittany Annand gave the Bruins a 19-17 advantage and the Bruins got two more points thanks to attack errors by TFC.
After a timeout, kills by Faith Rahn and Brooke Beaver gave the Bruins match point at 24-18. The Screaming Eagles tried to mount one last comeback as they scored the next three points, but Brooke Beaver hammered home a kill to win the set for the Bruins 25-21 and th match 3-0.
Brittany Annand led the team with 7 aces while also recording 7 assists in the match. The Bruins serving was impactful with 21 aces recorded by the team. Brooke Beaver led the Bruins with 5 kills while Timbre Cruz and Faith Rahn each had 4 a piece.
Next up, the Bruins will on the road next Saturday as they compete in a tri-match in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Bruins will play Alice Lloyd College at 12 p.m. followed by a matchup with Johnson University (TN) at 2 p.m.
