The Bruins are headed back to the region championship as the team swept #4 Johnson University (FL) on Friday night in the region semifinal in Jacksonville, Florida. The team advances to the region championship for the seventh-straight year as the team will face #3 Pensacola Christian College in a rematch of last year's region championship match.
"It was a total team effort tonight," Bruins Head Volleyball Coach Vickie Denny said. "It was great to see other players step up big and contribute for us."
The Bruins came into the tournament after earning the #1 seed. The Bruins would be paired against the Suns after Johnson (FL) defeated #5 Trinity Baptist College in straight sets in the region quarterfinal. This would be the third matchup of the season for the Bruins and Suns with the Bruins sweeping both previous matchups this season.
In the opening set, the Bruins came out strong as kills from Emma Riddle and Katherine Hoopes helped the team jump out to a 7-3 lead. The Suns battled back eventually cutting the deficit to 12-11 after a kill from Johanlly Sosa.
The Bruins responded well as the team went on a 5-0 run before Timbre Cruz hammered down a kill to make the score 19-13. The Suns tried to battle back but the Bruins were able to hold off a late rally to take set one 25-17.
As the second set began, the Suns came out looking to even the match as the team took an early 4-1 lead over the Bruins. The Bruins were able to respond scoring six-straight points but the score remained close as the two teams went back and forth.
Later on in the set, the Bruins began to stretch their lead as kills from Bethany Estell and Kiersten Hoopes helped the team lead 16-10. From there, the Bruins continued to stretch their lead as they took a 2-0 lead in the match with a 25-16 win in set two.
The Bruins were one set away from a trip to the region championship. The team came out on fire in the third set as they opened with an 11-2 lead thanks to pairs of aces from Katelyn Landkrohn and Eden Swihart. It looked as though the Bruins would run away with the match but the Suns came back to cut the deficit to 15-11.
From there, the Bruins went on a run as kills from Kyra Rickard and Faith Blalock pushed the lead to 23-13. The Suns tried to mount one last rally but the Bruins wouldn't be denied as they finished off the Suns 25-13 to sweep the match 3-0.
Kyra Rickard led the Bruins with 10 kills in the match while three players finished with double-digit digs with Katelyn Landkrohn leading the way with 20 digs. Next up, the Bruins will face #3 Pensacola Christian in the region championship match on Saturday.
The Eagles upset #2 Toccoa Falls College in the region semifinal on Friday winning in a five-set thriller. Saturday's championship will get underway at 1:30 p.m. in Jacksonville, Florida.
