The Bruins volleyball team is heading back to the NCCAA DII Final Four as the team defeated #7 Welch College 3-0 before falling to #2 Arlington Baptist University 3-1 in the final two pool play matches. The Bruins will face #1 seeded Manhattan Christian College in the semifinal on Saturday.
"We came out with a lot more focus and energy today," Bruins Head Coach Vickie Denny said. "In that first match, we accomplished all of the goals we set out to and in that second match we really battled hard."
The Bruins came into the day after opening pool play on Thursday with a 3-0 sweep of #6 Boyce College. The Bruins overcame a slow start in the opening set to eventually sweep the Bulldogs.
On Friday, the Bruins would play a pair of pool play matches with a trip to the final four on the line. In the opening match of the day, the Bruins would be paired with #7 Welch College who came into the match after falling to #2 Arlington Baptist University 3-0 on Thursday.
The Bruins opened set one with back to back points thanks to an ace from Kiersten Hoopes and a kill from Kyra Rickard. The Flames battled back as the score remained close in the early goings.
Later on in the set, the Bruins were able to pull away as Rickard came up with another kill and Katherine Hoopes an ace as the team led 16-10. The Flames tried to battle back but the Bruins wouldn't be denied in set one as the team went on to win 25-14.
In set two, the Bruins continued ride their momentum as the team jumped out to a 7-1 lead. It looked as though the Bruins would run away with the set, but the Flames came roaring back with a 7-1 run as they narrowed the deficit to 18-15.
The Bruins responded well as kills from Emma Riddle and Katherine Hoopes swung momentum back to the Bruins as the team went on to win set two 25-18 and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
In set three, the Bruins came out strong as Timbre Cruz recorded a kill and back to back aces to help the team lead 9-4. The Flames tried to battle back but the Bruins defense stood strong which fed into the offense as Katherine Hoopes and Faith Blalock made kills to push the lead to 16-7.
Later on in the set, the Bruins went on a 6-0 run which put the set out of reach as the team went on to win set three 25-12 and sweep the match 3-0.
Emma Riddle and Katherine Hoopes each had double-digit kills for the team with both finishing with 11 in the win. Timbre Cruz led the way with five aces for the Bruins while Katelyn Landkrohn led the team with 11 digs. Kiersten Hoopes had a solid match for the team with a double-double 34 assists and 10 digs.
With the win over Welch, the Bruins punched their ticket to the final four and now would determine their seeding in the semifinal as they faced #2 Arlington Baptist University in their final pool play match of the day.
In the opening set, the Bruins jumped out to an early lead as Timbre Cruz made a pair of kills to help the team lead 6-1. The Patriots battled back as the team went on an 8-2 run to eventually take the lead over BJU 13-11.
From there, the Bruins and Patriots went back and forth trading points beforethe set tied at 19-19. The Bruins got back to back points as kills from Emma Riddle and Katherine Hoopes helped the team lead 21-19. Unfortunately, the Bruins couldn't hold on as the Patriots battled back to take set one 25-22.
In set two, the score went back and forth in the early goings before the Bruins scored six-straight points to take a 10-4 lead. The Bruins maintained their offensive flow and continued to stay ahead with several well-placed kills. After a kill from Kyra Rickard, the Bruins led 14-8.
It looked as though the Bruins were well on their way to evening the match, but the Patriots had other plans as ABU came roaring back to cut the deficit to just 19-18. After a timeout, the Bruins responded well as Emma Riddle hammered home a kill to give the Bruins the spark they needed as the team finished off set two 25-20 to even the match at 1-1.
In set three, the Bruins and Patriots went back and forth before ABU five-straight points to take an 11-4 lead. The Bruins tried to narrow the gap, but the Patriots continued to find holes in the defense as they extended their lead.
The Bruins refused to back down as the team rallied late in the set to cut the deficit to 23-20 thanks to kills from Katherine Hoopes and Timbre Cruz. The Patriots wouldn't be denied as they went on to win set three 25-22 and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
As set four began, the Bruins came out looking to force a fifth set and keep the match going. The team jumped out to an early 4-2 lead, but the Patriots came right back as the teams had several lead changes before the score tied at 12-12.
Later on in the set, the Patriots scored five-straight points to take a 21-15 lead and force the Bruins into a timeout. Out of the timeout, the Patriots went right back to work as the team was able to finish off the Bruins 25-18 to win the match 3-1.
"Going into the semifinals we just have to focus on making every point count," Coach Denny said. "We know what we need to do and we're looking forward to competing."
Timbre Cruz and Katherine Hoopes each had a double-double for the Bruins as Hoopes finished with 12 kills and 12 digs while Timbre Cruz had 10 and 10. Kiersten Hoopes finished the match with 30 assists while Katelyn Landkrohn led the way with 16 digs.
Next up, the Bruins will face top-seeded Manhattan Christian College in the national semifinal final on Saturday. The match is set to begin at 10 a.m.
