The Bruins volleyball team bounced back from a loss on Thursday as the team posted back to back wins over Regent University and Emory & Henry College in a tri-match on Saturday in Emory, Virginia. With the wins, the Bruins improve to 16-4 on the season.
"We played two good teams today and we were able to come back with the two wins. ," Bruins Head Coach Vickie Denny said. "We had solid contributions on offense and defense from several different players in both matches which we've been lacking in past games and played great defense with our blocks and digs."
The Bruins came into the match on the heels of a tough 3-1 loss to Pfeiffer University on Thursday night at home. The team looked to get back on track as they played a road tri-match.
In the first match of the day, the Bruins would face the Royals of Regent University who came into the match at 3-6 on the season. The Bruins stormed out to an early lead in set one as kills from Emma Riddle and Victoria Glaze helped the team lead 6-1. The Bruins kept up the pressure as they continued to increase their lead.
The Royals tried to answer back as they rallied to trail 13-12. The Bruins answered back as a pair of kills from Glaze and an ace from Timbre Cruz increased the lead 17-12. From there, the Bruins never looked back as they went on to win the set 25-17 thanks to a pair of kills from Timbre Cruz to close out the set.
The score remained close at the beginning of set two but the Bruins maintained a slim lead behind a pair of aces from Katelyn Landkrohn and a kill from Bailee Hunger and Camila Silva.
The Bruins were able to push their lead to 12-7 with five-straight points scored later on in the set as the team began to take control. The team then put the set out of reach as they went on a 10-0 run as Emma Riddle recorded three kills and Timbre Cruz had four aces. As a result, the Bruins cruised to a 25-14 win in set two.
It looked as though the Bruins would run away with the sweep but the Royals came back strong in set three. The Bruins were able to take a 13-12 lead, but the Royals came right back with a run as they led 19-16. From there, the Bruins were able to battle back and tie and then take the lead after a kill from Camila Silva. The set would tie four more times down the stretch with the Royals edging the Bruins 30-28 to deny the sweep.
Heading into set four, the Bruins looked to finish off the match as the team held a 2-1 lead. A 9-0 run was fueled by kills from Camila Silva and Timbre Cruz as the team opened up to a 16-6 advantage. The Bruins kept the pressure on but the Royals tried to mount one last comeback to force a fifth set. The Bruins wouldn't be denied as back to back kills from Timbre Cruz helped the team finish off the Royals 25-20 and the match 3-1.
Three Bruins posted double-digits in kills with Emma Riddle leading the way with 15 in the match while Timbre Cruz and Victoria Glaze each had 10. Cruz also finished with 5 aces in the win while Rachel Pattisall had 28 assists for the team and Katelyn Landkrohn had 22 digs.
In the second match of the day, the Bruins would face host Emory & Henry College. The Wasps entered the match at 6-8 on the season but had won in a 3-1 victory over Regent University earlier in the day. This would be the first-ever matchup between the two programs as the teams took the court at the J.R. King Center.
Rachel Pattisall fueled the Bruins with a great serve to begin set one as the team jumped out to an early 9-2 lead. The Bruins offense had found its rhythm as the team used great passing to set up kills and extend the lead.
The Wasps began to chip away at the lead, but the Bruins held off big runs as they answered back with kills. As a result, the Bruins took set one 25-17 thanks to a great kill from Emma Riddle to end the set.
In set two, the Bruins again grabbed the early lead but the Wasps were determined to not dig an early hole as they rallied to tie the set at 7-7. Back and forth the two teams went with the score remaining close throughout the set.
Later on, the Wasps scored six-straight points thanks to kills by Carley Williams and Savanah Keesee and errors by the Bruins. The Wasps then evened the match as Carley Williams recorded a pair of kills to win the set 25-19.
With the match tied, both teams came out knowing the third set would be that much more important on the outcome of the game. The Bruins were able to take a 7-4 lead thanks to a five-point run fueled by an ace from Hannah Prince. The Wasps answered right back with five-straight points as they led 9-7. The two teams went back and forth with the score remaining close before the Wasps took a 21-18 lead and forced BJU into a timeout.
Out of the timeout, the Bruins got a spark as Emily Via made a kill and Kayla Oberstar followed with another as the Bruins battled back to tie the set at 24-24. From there, Rachel Pattisall recorded an ace and the Bruins completed the comeback as the team won set three 26-24.
The Bruins had grabbed momentum and it showed as the team built an 8-4 lead in the fourth set with a pair of kills from Emma Riddle. The Wasps came back to nearly tie the set but the Bruins used a kill and a pair of aces from Timbre Cruz to score five-straight and take a 15-9 lead. The Wasps were able to make a late run, but the Bruins wouldn't be denied as the team held on for a 25-20 win in set four to win the match 3-1.
"It was probably our best match of the season for us," Coach Denny said. "We're excited to see where we can go from here."
Victoria Glaze led the Bruins with a double-double 13 kills and 14 digs in the match. Emma Riddle also had a strong day for the team with 12 kills and 3 block assists in the win. The Bruins were able to play well defensively as the team combined for 62 digs in the match.
Next up, the Bruins will return home as the team welcomes Brevard College on Tuesday night to the Davis Field House.
