The magical run continues for Bruins volleyball as the team swept Piedmont University 3-0 to win their 11th straight match. The win also marked the seventh straight sweep for the Bruins as the team sits at 18-5 on the season.
"We knew Piedmont was going to give us a tough match and they did that tonight," Bruins Head Coach Vickie Denny said. "We were pushed tonight and we needed that at this point in the season. Different players contributed at different times at key points in the match to get us the win."
The Bruins came into the match on the heels of back to back sweeps last week. The Bruins would welcome Piedmont University who came into the match at 3-13 on the season.
The Bruins and Lions played in September in Georgia with the Bruins battling to a 3-1 victory in that match. The Bruin fans were out in full voice as the team took the court for their final home match of the regular season.
In the opening set, the two teams went back and forth before a kill from Timbre Cruz helped push the Bruins to an 8-3 lead. The Lions battled back but another 5-0 run near the midway point of the set by the Bruins pushed the lead to 17-11.
Still, the Lions refused to back down as they chipped away at the lead before a kill from Jenna Ash narrowed the deficit to 22-18. The Bruins responded well as back to back kills from Kyra Rickard and Faith Blalock gave the team a 25-18 win in set one.
The Bruins came out in set two to take an early lead but the Lions responded as kills from Hannah Kate Chadwell and Alaina McDonald gave Piedmont an 8-6 lead. As the set wore on, the Lions continued to maintain the upper hand, eventually leading the Bruins 17-12.
From there, the Bruins came roaring back with a 5-0 run to tie the set at 17-17 thanks to a kill from Katherine Hoopes and an ace from Timbre Cruz. The Lions came right back with a pair of points eventually leading to set point 24-22 after a kill from Sara DiCarlo.
The Bruins battled back and evened the set at 24-24 before completing the comeback as Timbre Cruz recorded an ace to win set two 27-25 and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
With a sweep on their minds, the Bruins scored the first four points of set three as Faith Blalock made a kill and Kiersten Hoopes recorded an ace. The Lions answered back with four-straight points of their own which would prove to be the theme throughout the remainder of the third set in the score remaining close.
The two teams went back and forth exchanging short bursts and runs before a kill from Emma Riddle evened the set at 18-18. Again, the Lions were able to make key plays as they scored three straight points to lead 23-20 as Piedmont hoped to extend the match. The Bruins had other plans as the team scored five-straight points as they went on to win set three 25-23 and the match 3-0.
"It was a really good team effort tonight," Coach Denny said. "We're starting to play really well defensively and we'll look to keep that up as we go on the road later this week."
Katherine Hoopes led the way for the Bruins with 13 kills in the match while her sister Kiersten notched 32 assists. The Bruins combined for eight aces in the win as the team has now won 21 straight sets and seventeen of their last eighteen matches.
Next up, the Bruins will be on the road on Friday as the team competes against South region rival Toccoa Falls College in Toccoa, Georgia.
