The Bob Jones University battled for nine total sets as they picked up two wins in a 3-1 decision against Mary Baldwin University and a five-set thriller against Pfeiffer University in Misenheimer, North Carolina.
The Bruins were back on the court on Saturday following a loss at Carolina University on Friday afternoon. With the results of today's matches, the Bruins now sit at 15-12 on the season.
First up in today's tri-match, the Bruins faced off against the Mary Baldwin Fighting Squirrels for the first time in program history. As the first set got underway, the Bruins and Fighting Squirrels kept it close through the first few points as the two teams exchanged points. The Bruins then pulled ahead to a slight 12-9 advantage. But Mary Baldwin immediately responded with a 7-1 run to lead 17-14. Bob Jones eventually regained a one point 22-21 lead, but the Fighting Squirrels had four straight kills to finish the opening set 25-22.
Set two opened with Mary Baldwin taking an early lead. Bob Jones quickly answered to take a commanding lead. They held Mary Baldwin to just 15 points as they evened the match 1-1.
As the third set got underway, the Fighting Squirrels got on the board first, but the Bruins responded and pulled ahead 4-3. The Bruins maintained the lead throughout the rest of the set and eventually pulled out the 25-17 win to move ahead in the match 2-1.
An ace by Paige Altizer opened the fourth set with a point for Bob Jones. Timely kills put the Bruins ahead quickly. They didn't back down and finished the match on top 3-1 with a fourth set 25-14 win over Mary Baldwin.
After a brief break, the Bruins were back on the court for their second game of the day against Pfeiffer University. The score remained close through most of the opening set. With the Bruins down one point at 15-16, Pfeiffer went on a 9-2 run to take the first set 25-17.
In the second set, the Bruins and Falcons exchanged points before the Bruins pulled to a four point, 16-12 advantage. The lead didn't last as the Falcons responded with six straight points. BJU responded to keep it close, but a kill by the Falcons sealed the second set win, 25-23.
Down 2-0 in the match, the Bruins needed a strong third set. After Pfeiffer took a five point lead, the Bruins responded to knot the score 13-13. They used this momentum to pull ahead 20-16. A kill by Blakely Brown secured the 25-23 set win for Bob Jones to keep them in the contest.
The fourth set proved to be a battle between the Bruins and Falcons and neither team allowed the other to gain any sort of lead. Down by one at 20-19, the Bruins went on a 4-1 run to reach set point. Pfeiffer made it close and got within one, but a kill by Alyssa Goebert sealed the 25-23 win to force a fifth set.
The first three points of the final set went in favor of Bob Jones. The two teams battled for every point, and as the game was nearing the end, Pfeiffer went up by one at 15-14, needing just one final point to take the win, but a service error went in favor of the Bruins to knot the game 15 all. The final two points went in favor of Bob Jones as they won set five 17-15 to win their second game of the day 3-2.
"This was such a fun day for our team," said Head Coach Anthony Bennett following today's games. "I'm so proud of how we bounced back from yesterday's match against two quality opponents. We had a great game plan against Mary Baldwin and performed it well. It was a back-and-forth battle against Pfeiffer, and they did a great job at making adjustments, but we responded very well after the first couple sets."
He continued saying, "huge shoutout to Blakely Brown who had 16 kills and hit .361 against Pfeiffer. Seeing that sort of performance in a big match as a freshman is so impressive! We are excited to finish off the regular season on Tuesday, and then shift our focus to regionals."
The Bruins wrap up the regular season on Tuesday with a contest at Columbia College.
