The Bruins volleyball team wrapped up their Florida road trip as the team swept Trinity Baptist College and Johnson University (FL) in Pensacola, Florida, on Saturday. With the wins on Saturday, the Bruins went a perfect 4-0 in region matches this weekend as the team improved to 5-4 on the season and 4-0 in region play.
"I am pleased with how well our team played today," Bruins Head Coach Vickie Denny said. "We want to build on this momentum as we have some tough matches coming up against strong competition."
The Bruins came into the matches on Saturday on the heels of back to back wins on Friday over Trinity College (FL) and Pensacola Christian College. The team looked to continue their impressive play in the region as they took the court on Saturday.
In the opening match of the day, the Bruins would face Trinity Baptist College. The Bruins wasted little time getting going as the team used great passing and great play at the net to jump out to an early 8-1 lead.
Later on in the set, Timbre Cruz hammered home a kill to increase the lead to 15-4. From there, the Bruins never looked back as the team won handily 25-7 in set one.
The Bruins carried the momentum into the second set as again the team picked apart the Eagle defense with well-placed kills as the team jumped out to a 14-2 lead. The Eagles tried to find an answer but the Bruins wouldn't allow TBC back into the set as they won set two 25-7 to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
In the third set, the Bruins came out looking to complete the sweep. Eden Swihart made an ace and Katherine Hoopes made a kill as the Bruins continued to find ways to increase their lead. The Eagles tried to mount one last rally but the deficit was too much to overcome as the Bruins went on to win 25-12 and sweep the match 3-0.
Katherine Hoopes led the Bruins with 13 kills in the match while her sister Kiersten led the team with 29 assists. Timbre Cruz had five aces for the team while Anne Lloyd and Timbre Cruz each posted double-digit digs in the win.
In the second match of the day, the Bruins would face the Suns of Johnson University (FL). In the opening set, Emma Riddle made a kill for the Bruins as the team was off and running building an early 13-4 lead. The Suns were able to cut into the lead, but the Bruins kept the Suns at bay as they went on to win 25-13 in the opening set.
Set two proved much of the same as the Bruins again did a great job of building the early lead. The Bruins defense frustrated the Suns as kill attempts were kept alive with great digs from different players. As a result, the Bruins were able to take set two 25-16 and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Bruins came out in the third set looking to finish the day strong and complete the sweep. After trading points early on, the Bruins went on a big run eventually building a 20-6 lead. Several players made great plays on both sides of the ball to build the big lead and while the Suns tried to claw their way back into the game, the Bruins finished things off as Emma Riddle made a kill to win the set 25-9 and the match 3-0.
"Our goal is to get better every day and grow together as a team and this weekend helped us to do that," Coach Denny said.
Camila Silva led the way for the Bruins with 10 kills in the match while Kiersten Hoopes provided 34 assists. Katelyn Landkrohn and Katherine Hoopes each had 14 digs for the Bruins to help the team complete the sweep.
Next up, the Bruins will return home as the team plays their home opener of the season on September 15. The Bruins will welcome Brevard College to the Davis Field House with the match set for 7 p.m.
