The Bruins are heading to their fourth-straight NCCAA DII national championship match as the team swept #2 Manhattan Christian College in the semifinal on Saturday afternoon in Kissimmee, Florida. Each set was close, but the Bruins made key plays throughout to come away with the win.
"I am so proud of our team," Bruins Head Coach Vickie Denny said. "We came out ready to compete against a strong Manhattan team. Each player contributed in this big win and we look forward to competing for the national title."
The Bruins came into the match on the heels of falling to #4 Johnson University (TN) 3-1 in their final match of pool play. To make matters worse, the team also lost All-American Victoria Glaze to a knee injury, ending her play at the tournament.
They knew they would be in for a tough test in the semifinal as they battled the Thunder who came into the match at 3-0 after winning each of their pool play matches. With a trip to the national championship on the line, the two teams took the court.
In the opening set, the Thunder scored the first three points thanks to kills from Grace Shurts and Roni Harris. The Bruins answered right back with four-straight points to take a 4-3 lead as Bailee Hunger and Emma Riddle each made kills and Kayla Oberstar added an ace.
The score remained close throughout the first set, but the Bruins were able to maintain a slim lead. It looked as though the Bruins were beginning to run away with the set as they stretched their lead to 17-11, but the Thunder battled back with five-straight points to trail 17-16.
In the final stages of the opening set, the score was separated by just a point before Emma Riddle ended the set for the Bruins recording back to back kills to give the team a 25-22 win.
The Bruins found themselves playing from behind early in set two as again the Thunder jumped out to an early lead, eventually leading BJU 10-5. The Bruins battled back and used a 7-0 run to take their first lead of the set 13-12. The two teams traded points and the lead before another 5-0 run by the Bruins gave them a 20-18 lead.
The Thunder roared back to get to set point at 24-22 before Kayla Oberstar and Emma Riddle each made big kills for the Bruins to tie it at 24-24. The two teams then traded set points as each looked to close out the set with a win. Again, the Bruins made key plays when it mattered most as Bailee Hunger made a kill to help the Bruins win 28-26 and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
With their backs against the wall, the Thunder came out looking to avoid the sweep while the Bruins hoped to punch their ticket to the title match. The score remained close in the early goings before a kill by Grace Walker gave the Thunder an 8-5 lead. The Bruins battled back to take a 11-9 lead after kills from Riddle and Hunger.
The score continued to go back and forth with several ties and lead changes before both teams were notted at 18-18. From there, a pair of kills from Timbre Cruz helped the Bruins score five-straight points to lead 23-19. The Thunder tried to battle back but a service error ended their hopes of a comeback as the Bruins swept Manhattan 25-21.
Emma Riddle, Bailee Hunger, and Timbre Cruz each finished with 9 kills in the win while Rachel Pattisall turned in a strong performance with 26 assists and 3 aces to go along with 7 digs.
Next up, the Bruins will look to win their fourth-straight NCCAA DII National title as they face a familiar foe in #4 Johnson University (TN) at 5 p.m. in Kissimmee, Florida.
