In a high scoring contest between the Bruins and the Quakers, the two volleyball programs battled it out for five sets. The Bruins fell just short in the final set Saturday afternoon in a 15-17 score. The final for the match ended 2-3 in favor of the Guilford College Quakers.

Going into this matchup, the Bruins were hungry to get back at Guilford. Earlier this season, the two teams met during the BJU Invitational Tournament. In a tough match, the Bruins fell 1-3.

The first set got underway with each squad trying to gain that early lead. Guilford found that lead, but not for long as the Bruins found their way back into the set for an 8-6 lead. Shortly after, the Quakers found a small rhythm to regain the set one lead. The Bruins kept fighting back and tied it back up at 12-12. Natalie Moore of the Quakers would help them regain the lead as she went on a short run serving. The chances of making a comeback were now dwindling for the Bruins as they couldn't seem to get anything going on offense. Set one ended 20-25 for a Quaker 1-0 lead.

After a quick refresh, both squads were ready to play again. The Bruins fell behind early, but quickly brought it back to 6-6. Trying to stay ahead, the Bruins would tack on a few more points to go up 9-7 and then a few more to go 12-8. The Quakers were never far behind though as they would only be down by five at any given point during the set. Victoria Glaze finished the set for the Bruins with a kill to make it 25-22.

A tough third set found the Bruins quickly behind. Just over halfway through the third set, the Bruins found themselves down 9-18. A kill by Katherine Hoopes regained the Bruins the serve and then Katelyn Landkrohn put them within three points. Fighting for everything, the Bruins found a way to put them within striking distance and tied up the set 20-20. The Quakers tried to spoil the comeback from the Bruins by going up 24-21. Their attempt would fail and the Bruins stormed back for the 26-24 set win.

"Our team showed a lot of grit coming back to win set 3 after falling behind early," commented Head Coach Vickie Denny.

In another back-and-forth contest in the fourth set, both teams knew what was at stake. For the Bruins, it was a chance to end the match and redemption from earlier this season. For the Quakers, it was now or never. Both teams played really close with neither team committing more than a few errors throughout the set. The Quakers tied the match 2-2 after set four.

With a huge set about to take place, everyone had to be at the edge of their seat. Neither team was able to pull away and it was within one or two points the whole way. With the Bruins up 15-14, it felt that they had a chance to win it, but the Quakers tied it back up. The Quakers won the set two points later and the match ended 2-3 Guilford College.

After the match, Coach Denny said, "we wanted to play Guilford tougher than we did earlier in the season and we did that. It was a bit disappointing that we committed too many unforced errors in set five and couldn't pull off the upset. It was a great match for us to be pushed and much can be learned from today's loss."

Up next, the Bruins are headed to Rock Hill, South Carolina for a match against Clinton College.