The Bruins volleyball team wrapped up their weekend road trip as the team dropped both matches on Saturday with a 3-2 loss to Averett University and a 3-1 loss to Meredith College. As a result, the Bruins end their opening weekend at 1-3 overall for the season.
"We had some tough losses today," Bruins Head Volleyball Coach Vickie Denny said. "We were able to compete well against both teams but did not do that consistently throughout each match."
The Bruins came into Saturday play on the heels of splitting their first two matches of the season on Friday. The Bruins had fallen to William Peace University 3-0 before rebounding to defeat Roanoke College 3-2 in a five-set thriller.
In the first match on Saturday, the Bruins would be paired with Averett University, the host of the weekend tournament. The Cougars came into the match after sweeping Piedmont University and Meredith College on Friday.
The Bruins and Cougars traded points to begin set one as the score remained close early on. The Cougars then scored three straight behind kills from Rachel Green and Dayton Moore as they extended their lead to 10-5. The Bruins stayed within striking distance and eventually battled back with a 6-1 run as Kyra Rickard and Faith Blalock made kills to give the team an 18-17 lead.
From there, the two teams went back and forth with each hoping they could grab the win in the set. Camila Silva came up with a big kill as she helped give the Bruins a 25-23 win to take set one.
The hometown team came out strong in the second set looking to even the match as the Cougars scored four straight points out of the gate. Another run in the early stages helped Averett take a 10-4 lead and forced the Bruins to call timeout. The Bruins tried to battle back but the Cougars continued to find holes for kills as they extended their lead 18-10.
It looked as though the Cougars would run away with the set but the Bruins had other plans as a 6-0 run brought them right back into the set. Unfortunately, the comeback came up short as the Cougars held on for a 25-22 win in the second set to even the match 1-1.
In the third set, it was the Bruins who grabbed the early lead as kills from Silva and Bethany Estell helped the team lead 6-3. Again the Cougars were able to battle back and continued to maintain a slim lead throughout the remainder of the set. The Bruins couldn't seem to slow Averett as the Cougars outscored the Bruins 6-1 to close out set three 25-20.
With their backs against the wall, the Bruins came out looking to keep the match alive. Back and forth the two teams went in set four as they exchanged points and the lead. Near the midway point of the set, the Bruins scored four straight points thanks to an ace from Bethany Estell and kills from Emma Riddle and Faith Blalock. The Bruins then were able to force a fifth and final set as they held on for a 25-22 win in set four.
The Bruins and Cougars came out for the final set with each hoping to leave the court with a win. Averett found their rhythm early on as they stormed out to a 6-1 lead and never looked back as they took set five 15-8 to win the match 3-2.
Four players recorded double-digit kills in the match with Bethany Estell leading the way with 13. Three Bruins combined for 47 assists as Eden Swihart finished with 20 in the match while also posting 16 digs.
In the second match of the day, the Bruins would face Meredith College who came into the match at 1-1 on the season. The Bruins stormed out to an early lead in the opening set as kills from Camila Silva and Timbre Cruz helped the Bruins jump out to a 10-5 lead.
From there, the Bruins continued to maintain the upper hand thanks to great passing and pinpoint kills. As a result, the Bruins ran away with set one as they defeated the Avenging Angels 25-11.
Meredith College was determined to bounce back in set two and it showed as they battled the Bruins point for point. Near the midway point of the set, the Bruins were able to pull ahead 19-14 thanks to aces from Kiersten Hoopes and Bethany Estell.
It looked as though the Bruins would take set two but the Avenging Angels came roaring back with a late rally that tied the set. Meredith continued to carry that momentum as they completed the comeback with a 25-21 win in set two, outscoring BJU 11-2 in the final stages of the set.
The score remained close in the third set throughout the early stages as the Bruins had kills from Timbre Cruz and Camila Silva. The Avenging Angels were able to battle back, eventually tying the score at 16-16. From there, Meredith caught fire as they went on a 9-0 run to close out the set and win 25-17.
Trailing 2-1, the Bruins came out for the fourth set looking to even the match. The Avenging Angels came out strong as kills from Lauren Bissette and Martin-Main Wrangell gave the team a 10-6 lead.
The Bruins were able to creep back into the set, but struggled to maintain a consistent offensive flow which allowed the Avenging Angels to keep their lead. Emma Riddle and Bethany Estell made kills late to spark a short rally but the Bruins couldn't keep the Avenging Angels at bay as Meredith went on to win set four 25-21 and the match 3-1.
"As I look at our team, I believe we will continue to improve and get better as we continue to compete," Coach Denny said. "These players are competitors and will take these losses to help motivate them for our matches moving forward."
Camila Silva led the Bruins with 10 kills in the match while Timbre Cruz had 10 digs. Eden Swihart and Kiersten Hoopes combined for 25 assists while the team also had 12 block assists.
Next up, the Bruins will be on the road next Thursday evening as they face Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama, before competing in the NCCAA South Region kickoff tournament in Pensacola, Florida, next weekend.
