The Bruins volleyball team continued their impressive winning streak on Tuesday night as the team swept Johnson & Wales University 3-0 in the Davis Field House in Greenville, South Carolina. With the win, the Bruins have won nine straight including five-straight sweeps as the team sits at 16-5 on the season.
"Johnson and Wales has a really good team and had some great defensive plays. This was a fun match," Bruins Head Coach Vickie Denny said. "We talked about playing better defense and everything comes together when you play good defense. Our team is buying into that and they have been resilient and come ready to play."
The Bruins came into the match on the heels of back to back sweeps over Paine College and Carolina University in a Saturday tri-match. The Wildcats entered Tuesday's match at 10-10 on the season after snapping a four-match losing streak with a win over Caldwell Community College on Thursday.
Earlier this season, the Bruins and Wildcats battled in Charlotte, North Carolina, with the Bruins winning 3-1 on September 22. The Bruins looked to keep up their winning ways as they took the court in front of the hometown fans.
The Bruins stormed out of the gate in set one as a 5-0 run helped the team lead 7-2. The Bruins didn't let up as kills from Katherine Hoopes and Emma Riddle allowed the team to stretch their lead over JWU. The Bruins then put the set out of reach as the team scored six-straight points en route to winning set one 25-12.
In the second set, the two teams went back and forth trading points and the lead as the Wildcats looked to draw even in the match. Near the midway point of the set, another key run for the Bruins allowed the team to take a 21-14 lead. Katelyn Landkrohn was effective in the serve which allowed the Bruins to build the lead and then take set two 25-16 to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
With a sweep in their sights, the Bruins came out strong looking to close out the match as the team jumped out to an 8-3 lead. The Wildcats tried to battle back but the Bruins continued to pick apart the defense for kills. The team went on a 13-3 run to close out the set as the Bruins completed the sweep with a 25-10 win in set three to win the match 3-0.
"I continue to be proud of this team and their hard work," Coach Denny said. "They have responded well this season. We just have to keep doing what we are doing in limiting our errors and if we do that I think we will continue to be successful as we move forward this season."
Emma Riddle led the Bruins with 12 kills, one solo block and two block assists on the night while Timbre Cruz finished with 10 kills. Kiersten Hoopes had 41 assists in the win while Katelyn Landkrohn was one of three players in double-figures in digs as she finished with 13.
Next up, the Bruins will be back home again on Friday for the homecoming match as the team welcomes Johnson University (FL). It's also senior night for the Bruins as the team honors Emma Riddle, the lone senior on the squad this season.
