The Bruins volleyball team extended their winning streak on Saturday as the team swept Paine College and Carolina University to win their 7th and 8th matches in a row and improve to 15-5 on the season.
"I am really proud of this team," Bruins Head Coach Vickie Denny said. "We've had a lot of difficulties that we've faced this season. Other teams may have folded but I am just proud of the way our team continues to work hard and be together and encourage one another."
The Bruins came into the Saturday tri-match on the heels of a 3-0 sweep over Pfeiffer University on Thursday. The Bruins looked to keep up their winning ways but knew they would be in for a tough test as they took the
For the first match of the day, the Bruins would be paired with Paine College. The Lions came into the match a 1-9 on the season following back to back losses to Wesleyan College and Clark Atlanta. The Bruins looked to extend their winning streak as the two teams took the floor.
In the opening set, the Bruins were off and running as the team stormed out to an early 9-1 lead. The Bruins had found their rhythm early which resulted in great offense and pinpoint kills as the team pushed their lead 15-4. From there, the Bruins never looked back as they took the opening set 25-10.
The Bruins carried the momentum over into the second set as they again jumped out to an early 10-3 lead. Timbre Cruz made a kill which sparked a 15-0 run for the Bruins with Katherine Hoopes and Emma Riddle making kills en route to a 25-4 win in set two.
With a 2-0 lead in the match, the Bruins came out eyeing the sweep. The Lions fought desperately to try to avoid the sweep as the Bruins led 9-5 early on. Later on in the set, unforced errors by the Bruins allowed the Lions to battle back as Paine trailed 18-16. From there, Timbre Cruz made a kill but again the Lions battled back to eventually tie the score at 21-21.
Out of a timeout, back to back kills from Faith Blalock and Emma Riddle helped the Bruins score four straight points as the team finished off the Lions with a 25-21 win in set three to complete the 3-0 sweep.
Emma Riddle led the Bruins with 10 kills in the match while Katherine Hoopes finished with 9. Kiersten Hoopes had 29 assists in the win while Katelyn Landkrohn led the Bruins with 20 digs.
For the second match of the day, the Bruins would face Carolina University. Carolina came into the match at 11-4 on the season having swept Paine College in match two of the tri-match. Both teams looked to end the weekend with a win as the next chapter of the battle of the Bruins was set to be written.
In the opening set, Carolina and BJU traded points before a kill from Emma Riddle and an ace from Timbre Cruz helped BJU lead 8-5. Another run near the midway point of the set allowed the Bruins to extend their lead before Faith Blalock made a kill to increase the lead 14-9.
Out of a timeout, the Bruins were able to go on a 6-0 run as Blalock continued to pick apart the Carolina defense. As a result, the Bruins went on to win set one 25-16 as Katherine Hoopes hammered down the final kill of the set.
Carolina University would jump out to the early lead in set two but the Bruins came roaring back as kills from Cruz and Blalock and an ace and kill from Helped the Bruins bounce back and lead 7-4.
Again, the Bruins were able to use a crucial mid-set run to push their lead as the team led 12-6. Carolina refused to back down as they cut into the lead but the Bruins responded well as the team scored four-straight points to win the set 25-14 and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
Looking to avoid the sweep, Carolina came out strong in set three as they led 7-3 early on. The Bruins battled back as a kill from Timbre Cruz and an ace from Emma Riddle helped the team battle back and tie the set at 8-8.
Later on in the set, the Bruins scored five-straight points capped off by a kill from Timbre Cruz as the team led 16-11. Carolina tried to chip away at the lead but the team had trouble throughout the match getting around the block of Emma Riddle and Faith Blalock.
Still, Carolina continued to chip away at the lead as a kill from Ariane Ramalho narrowed the deficit to 20-18. Out of the timeout, the Bruins got back to back kills from Kiersten Hoopes and Katherine Hoopes as they edged closer to the win. Carolina tried to mount one last rally, but the Bruins wouldn't be denied as the team won set three 25-21 and the match 3-0.
"We played with a lot more intensity in that second match," Coach Denny said. "We had some great defense and blocking which really helped us in extending the play and we did a good job of using that to get the point. We played hard today and now we want to continue to build as we move forward."
Katherine Hoopes led the Burins with 14 kills in the win while her sister Kiersten Hoopes tallied 35 assists. Katelyn Landkrohn and Eden Swihart each led the way defensively with 10 digs while Emma Riddle had 2 solo blocks and 3 block assists.
Next up, the Bruins will be back home again on Tuesday night as the team welcomes Johnson & Wales University to the Davis Field House.
