The Bruins volleyball rallied from an early 1-0 deficit as the team stormed back to defeat #4 seeded Toccoa Falls College 3-1 on Friday night in Toccoa, Georgia. With the win, the Bruins advance to their sixth-straight NCCAA DII Region Championship match.
"Toccoa came ready to play tonight and really pushed us," Bruins Head Coach Vickie Denny said. "I was proud of how we responded and stepped up to battle back and win."
The Bruins came into the match after earning the #1 seed for the regional tournament. They would face a familiar opponent in the region semifinal as they faced Toccoa Falls for the third time this season. The hometown fans were out in full voice to support the Screaming Eagles as a trip to the region championship was on the line.
In the opening set, the Screaming Eagles came out strong as they grabbed an early lead. The Bruins tried to battle back but costly errors allowed TFC to continue to push their lead. Abigail Smith and Addison Walters made key kills as TFC would go on to win the opening set 25-16.
The Bruins were looking for answers and they found them from middle blocker Emma Riddle as the junior made several great kills and big blocks to help the Bruins build a 12-2 lead in set two. The Bruins had grabbed momentum and wouldn't let it go as the team evened the match 1-1 with a 25-10 win in set two.
Both teams came out looking to win the crucial third set. The Bruins relied on the kills of Victoria Glaze and Bailee Hunger as they maintained a slim lead. The Screaming Eagles refused to back down as the score remained close throughout the set. The Bruins were able to make key plays down the stretch as they held on to win set three 25-20 to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
One set separated the Bruins from the region championship and the team came out looking to finish off the Screaming Eagles. Toccoa Falls had other plans as they matched the Bruins point for point to keep the score close. Down the stretch, key kills from Riddle and Glaze helped the Bruins take a 24-21 lead before Riddle ended the set 25-21 with a kill to give the Bruins a 3-1 win in the match.
"Our team grew together through some adversity which will help us tomorrow as we play for the championship," Coach Denny said.
Victoria Glaze led the Bruins with a double-double 16 kills and 13 digs while Rachel Pattisall and Hannah Prince combined for 36 assists in the win. Katelyn Landkrohn led the way for the Bruins defensively with 16 digs for the team.
The Bruins will face #2 seeded Pensacola Christian College on Saturday for the NCCAA DII South Region Championship. The match is set to begin at 11 a.m. in Toccoa, Georgia.
