The Bob Jones University women's volleyball team opened their weekend at the Cougar Classic in Danville, Virginia with a 3-2 win over host school Averett University to secure their first win of the season.
As today's game got underway, the Bruins and Cougars exchanged points early and kept the score close. Late in the opening set, the Bruins pulled ahead to a slight advantage. A kill by Addison Monroe sealed the set one win for the Bruins 25-22.
It was a similar start in set two as the two teams battled for each point early. With the score tied 10-10, Averett went on a six point spree to take the lead. But the Bruins responded well and closed the deficit to tie the game at 17 all. The Bruins continued to work and pulled ahead in the match 2-0 with a 25-20 set win.
Averett battled to stay in the game in the third and put together a 25-18 win to take set three.
In the fourth, the Cougars pulled ahead to an early 10-5 lead. The Bruins struggled to catch back up as Averett maintained their advantage. BJU tried to make a late push, but in the end the Cougars came up on top 25-20 to tie the match 2-2.
As the final set got underway, the Bruins pulled ahead to a 5-2 lead before Averett came back to tie it 5-5. Once again, the Bruins took the lead until the Cougars knotted score at 11-11. With the match on the line with Averett leading 14-12, the Bruins took advantage of back-to-back errors by Averett to force extra volleyball. Kills by Stefanie Burke and Lyndsey Cassell secured the 16-14 victory in the five-set thriller.
"We are beyond excited at tonight's win," said Coach Anthony Bennett. "We had our backs against the wall late in the game and found a way to battle through a great crowd and a very talented Averett team. The energy and grit tonight in every set was exactly the type of effort we are looking for all season! This was a wonderful start to our weekend, and we're excited to get back on the court tomorrow for the remainder of the tournament."
Tomorrow, the team is back on the court for two games at the Cougar Classic. Game one of the day will start at 11 a.m. against Guilford College before a 1 p.m. contest against Roanoke College.
