The Bruins volleyball team had a tough day on Saturday as the team battled to back to back losses against Bluefield College and Johnson University (TN) in a tri-match in Knoxville, Tennessee. With the losses, the Bruins fall to 19-10 on the season.
"This is a young team and that was evident today," Bruins Head Volleyball Coach Vickie Denny said. "We struggled offensively throughout each match and while we were close in sets, we just couldn't find a way to score when we really needed to."
The Bruins came into the matchup on the heels of a 3-1 victory over Pfeiffer University on Thursday. The win snapped a three-match losing skid for the Bruins but the team knew they would have to be at their best as they faced a pair of high-caliber programs on Saturday on the road.
In the first matchup of the day, the Bruins faced off against Bluefield College with the Rams coming into the match having won their last five in a row. The Bruins took the first two points of the opening set, but the Rams fought back as both teams kept the score close in the early goings.
Near the midway point of the set, a 7-2 run by the Rams helped the team pull away from the Bruins 19-13. From there, the Bruins tried to battle back but the Rams wouldn't be denied as they took set one 25-18.
The Rams carried that momentum into the second set building a 4-1 lead before the Bruins battled back to draw even at 7-7. Again, a midway run by the Rams proved costly as Bluefield continued to find holes in the Bruins defense for points. As a result, the Bruins found themselves down 2-0 in the match after dropping set two 25-19.
The Bruins came out in set three looking to avoid the sweep and it showed as the team bounced out to a 5-1 lead. The Rams were able to bounce back as kills from Liangelys Santana and Lauren Sotomayor helped the team lead 10-9 over BJU.
The two teams remained close throughout the remainder of the set as the Bruins kept pace with the Rams matching them point for point until the two teams tied at 22-22. The teams would tie twice more at 24-24 and 25-25 with the Bruins desperate to keep the match going. Unfortunately, the Bruins couldn't find the upper hand as Madison Miller made a kill to finish off BJU 3-0 as the team dropped set three 27-25.
Katherine Hoopes led the Bruins with a double-double 10 kills and 13 digs in the loss while her sister Kiersten Hoopes finished with 32 assists. The Bruins had 45 digs in the match as a team with Katherine Hoopes and Katelyn Landkrohn each having 13.
After a short break, the Bruins were back on the court as they faced host Johnson University (TN). The Royals came into the match having dropped the first match of the day in a 3-1 loss to Bluefield.
In the opening set, the score remained close with several ties and lead changes as each team tried to grab the upper hand. The Bruins got back to back kills from Emma Riddle but the Royals answered back with kills of their own eventually knotting the score at 12-12.
From there, the Bruins went on a 6-0 run to take an 18-4 lead. The Royals came roaring back with a run of their oen as they eventually tied the set at 22-22. The Bruins were back on their heels but stood strong as they hoped to come away with the set win. The Royals wouldn't be denied as a kill from Sydney Smith finished off set one 27-25 in favor of Johnson (TN).
The Royals had found their rhythm and continued to carry momentum into the second set jumping out to a 7-1 lead. The Bruins regrouped and were able to chip away at the lead but the Royals continued to keep the Bruins at bay as back to back aces by Marissa McMahon gave the team a 19-14 lead over BJU. The Bruins tried to battle back, but the Royals wouldn't be denied as they took a 2-0 lead in the match with a 25-16 win in set two.
The Bruins were on the verge of back to back sweeps and the team came out hoping to find a way to get back into the match. Unfortunately, the team dug another early hole as the Royals jumped out to a 7-3 lead. The Bruins were able to battle back thanks to kills from Timbre Cruz and Faith Blalock but the score remained close throughout the remainder of the set with neither team able to build a sizable lead.
Back and forth the two teams went as seven different times the score would tie in the fourth set. After a kill from Kyra Rickard, the Bruins tied the set at 22-22 and looked to force a fourth set. Unfortunately, that was the last point the Bruins would score as the Royals ended the match with a kill from Sydney Smith to win 25-22 and the match 3-0.
"We'll get back to work on Monday as we prepare for the last week of the regular season," Coach Denny said.
Emma Riddle led the Bruins with 12 kills in the match while Timbre Cruz and Katherine Hoopes each had 6. Two players finished with double-digit digs for the Bruins with Katelyn Landkrohn finishing with 20 on the day.
Next up, the Bruins will be on the road again on Tuesday night as the team faces Paine College in Augusta, Georgia.
