The Bruins volleyball team suffered their first home loss of the 2021 season on Thursday night as Pfeiffer University rallied to defeat BJU 3-1 in the Davis Field House. With the loss, the Bruins fall to 14-4 on the season.
"We're a young team and we've got a lot to learn and we haven't been pushed a lot this season like we were tonight," Bruins Head Coach Vickie Denny said. "Hats off to Pfeiffer as they regrouped really well. They are a very good team and we knew we were going to have a tough match in front of us. They got momentum and continued to play better and better as the match went on."
The Bruins came into the match on the heels of a 3-0 sweep of Johnson & Wales University on Tuesday. The Falcons entered Thursday's match at 11-3 after having their seven-match winning streak snapped on Tuesday in a loss to William Peace University. The Bruins and Falcons took the court for the first-ever matchup between the two teams.
In the opening set, the Bruins and Falcons went back and forth with several ties and lead changes early on. The Bruins eventually led 9-7 thanks to kills from Emily Via and Kayla Oberstar and an ace from Via. As the set continued, the Bruins maintained a slim lead before Victoria Glaze recorded two kills and two aces to score four-straight points for the team as BJU led 21-15. From there, the Falcons battled back but the Bruins finished off set one 25-20.
The Bruins carried their momentum into set two as the team came out strong building and 8-2 lead. The Bruins looked to be in control as they continued to pick apart the Falcons defense with kills. After a kill and an ace from Via, the Bruins led Pfeiffer 15-5 and looked to coast to a win in set two.
After a timeout, the Falcons came roaring back on a big run eventually drawing even at 19-19 in the set. Pfeiffer had grabbed momentum and it showed as they battled back to win set two 25-21 and even the match at 1-1.
The Bruins looked to answer back as kills from Timbre Cruz and Emily Via helped the team build an early 3-1 lead. Again the Falcons used a key run to battle back and take an 11-6 lead. The Bruins were able to cut into the lead, but the Falcons continued to maintain their upper hand thanks to the attack of Anya Parker and Madison Honeycutt. The Bruins were able to rally late, but the Falcons took a 2-1 lead as they won set three 25-22.
In the fourth set, the Falcons came out strong as they looked to finish off the Bruins. Errors plagued BJU in the set which allowed the Falcons to stretch their lead to 15-6. The Bruins refused to give up as they slowly chipped away at the lead. The Bruins went on a 7-0 run later in the set as they trailed 21-16, but in the end the deficit was too much to overcome as they fell 25-18 in the fourth set to lose the match 3-1.
"We were struggling in our offense tonight," Coach Denny said. "This is a good match for us to get pushed and see that we didn't respond very well. We'll look to fix some of those things in practice tomorrow and hopefully we'll learn and grow and be better as a result of this match."
Victoria Glaze led the Bruins with 17 kills in the match while Emily Via had 7 and Camila Silva 6. Katelyn Landkrohn had 15 digs in the match while Rachel Pattisall and Hannah Prince combined for 34 assists in the loss.
Next up, the Bruins will be on the road this weekend for a tri-match as they face Regent University and Emory & Henry College on Saturday in Emory, Virginia.
