The Bruins had an exciting first day of the National Championships in Joplin, Missouri where they faced #8 Calvary University and #5 Grace Christian University. In the first match, the Bruins won 3-1 over the Calvary Warriors and then followed that performance with a clean 3-0 sweep over the Grace Christian Tigers.
The Bruins played a fantastic match against the Warriors. In four sets, the Bruins won 25-10, 20-25, 25-18, and 25-16. Sophomore, Katherine Hoopes led the way with her double-double performance tallying 16 kills and 11 digs. Senior, Victoria Glaze also put together a nice match with 10 kills of her own while also adding three aces. On the defensive side of the ball, three other Bruins found double-digit digs. Katelyn Landkrohn finished with 22 digs, Timbre Cruz finished with 18, and Eden Swihart finished with 15.
The four-set match was an exciting one to watch as the Bruins cruised through the first set untested. The Warriors said not so fast though as they were able to sneak away with the second set. Tied at 1-1, the Bruins gathered themselves and refocused their attention on the third set. Looking like their old selves, they finished the Warriors 25-18 to go up 2-1 in the match. The Bruins finished the match off with thrilling fourth set and a six-point run to go up 24-14 before Katherine Hoopes put the final kill on the board.
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"We got off to a slow start against Calvary but during our second match of the day, we got into our rhythm and played well as a team," said Head Coach Vickie Denny. "That is what it will take tomorrow as we face a talented Randall team."
The Bruins got out to a hot start in all three sets and never looked back. Like they've done all season long, the Bruins played a dominant match winning in straight sets over the Grace Christian University Tigers. This isn't the first time these two teams have met either. They played back in September when Bob Jones hosted an invitational in which the Bruins and Tigers clashed. Much like last time, the Bruins had the upper hand and took advantage of the errors by Grace Christian.
A strong showing by Kiersten Hoopes as she assisted 33 times and also added 5 kills and 7 digs. Emily Lewis had a good night at the net as she put down 5 kills of her own while also putting up 5 blocks for the Bruins. The libero, Landkrohn, made her presence known as she got down for 14 more digs on the defense.
Up next, the Bruins will play against #4 seed Randall University at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday. That will be the final match for the Bruins in pool play and will determine if the Bruins move on to the semifinal round on Friday.Â
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