The Bob Jones University Bruins stunned the Spartanburg Methodist College Pioneers with a come from behind 3-2 victory Wednesday night. With today's five set win, the Bruins have improved to 21-10 on the year.
"I am so proud of our team tonight," said Head Coach Vickie Denny. "They showed a lot of grit and determination after dropping the first two sets. Spartanburg Methodist has several offensive weapons and it took some time for us to adjust and start defending them better. We were able to turn it during the third set and just kept grinding away. This was a solid win for us against a solid SMC program."
After the Pioneers spoiled the Bruins home opener on September 3 in a 3-1 decision, the Bruins made the trip to Spartanburg, South Carolina looking for a rematch.
As today's game got underway, the Bruins pulled ahead to a slight 9-6 lead. The Pioneers came back to tie it up at nine before a monster block by Emily Lewis and Stefanie Burke put BJU back ahead. Spartanburg Methodist slowly began to pull away and eventually took set one 25-18.
A kill by Hannah Goodwin opened the second set scoring as the Bruins went 3-0 in set two. The Pioneers went on a five point run before a service error served as relief for BJU. An Anne Loyde ace put the Bruins on top at 6-5. SMC then went on a seven point spree to lead once again. The Bruins battled to keep it close, but the Pioneers pulled ahead to take the 2-0 match lead with the 25-19 set win.
Spartanburg got out to a slight advantage at the beginning of the third set. The Bruins battled to even the score at 16 all before an ace by Faith Blalock gave them their first lead of the set. It continued to be a back and forth effort before a kill by Hannah Goodwin put BJU back ahead 20-19. A block by Hannah Goodwin put the Bruins ahead 24-22 to force a timeout by the Pioneers. A kill by Faith Blalock sealed the 25-23 set win for the Bruins.
At the top of the fourth set, the Bruins pulled ahead to a three point advantage. They soon pulled ahead to an eight point lead, the biggest of the match. SMC worked to cut down the deficit, but the Bruins prevailed to take the fourth set 25-21 and force a fifth set.
Looking to be the first team to 15, the Bruins opened the final set with three straight points. They continued to battle and improved to a 9-4 lead. A big dig by Hayley Prater helped keep the Bruins alive as they moved to 10-4 off of the Emily Lewis kill. It was a battle until the end as the Bruins upset the Pioneers to finish the 3-2 comeback win with a 15-9 set five victory.
Hannah Goodwin led the match with 20 kills followed by Faith Blalock's 16.
Up next, the Bruins travel to Georgia for a Friday night contest at Toccoa Falls College before hosting Paine College on Saturday afternoon at the Davis Field House.
