The Bryan Lions Volleyball team completed their seventh Appalachian Athletic Conference sweep of the season after topping Truett-McConnell University 3-0 Tuesday night (27-25, 25-18, 25-16), improving their overall record to 14-8 and AAC record to 9-4, while the Bears of Truett-McConnell dropped to 10-10 overall and 4-9 in conference play.
Instead of the usual overwhelming red in the crowd Tuesday, Bryan teamed with the Side-Out Foundation and put on a Dig Pink game to raise awareness for Breast Cancer, while raising funds that will be donated to Side-Out that are specifically being used for clinical trial for patients with stage four breast cancer, the most advanced form of the disease and the least funded area of research.
The opening set was the only set of the match that the Lions did not control for the majority of the time, so a comeback effort was significant for Bryan taking an early 1-0 lead.
Leveled 8-8, Truett-McConnell rallied for a 7-1 run to claim a 15-9 lead. The set looked out of reach for Bryan as they fell behind 18-11, but a 13-6 run tied the set once again at 24-24. A service error by the Lions gave the Bears a 25-24 advantage, but a kill by Hannah Smith made it 25-25. A combined effort by Hope Burnett and Alyssa Casillas provided a key block, allowing Bryan to regain the lead at 26-25. Shelby Enochs assisted Paige Lawson who hammered the last needed point to seal a 27-25 come-from-behind first set victory.
Midway through the second set, both teams were tied 12-12 but that’s when the Lions created some separation and pieced together an 8-2 run, bringing the score to 20-14. An attack error by the Bears, two kills by Rachel Mosley, a kill by Lawson, and a kill by Smith was all the home team needed to increase their lead to 2-0 in the match with a 25-18 second set win.
Tied 8-8 in the final set, the Lions won a long and hard fought point that proved significant as it initiated a 7-1 run, giving Bryan a comfortable 16-9 lead as they never looked back on their way to a 25-16 third set win and 3-0 sweep of the Truett-McConnell Bears.
Bryan outkilled Truett-McConnell 46-29 and managed a notable .274 attack percentage to their .121. The Bears produced one block, while the Lions made things difficult at the net with seven total blocks. Smith led the attack for Bryan with a team-high 12 kills and .250 percentage. Mosley and Lawson were extremely efficient as Mosley compiled 11 kills with a .421 attack percentage, and Lawson followed with 10 kills and a .409 percentage. Casillas aided with six kills in the match. Enochs led all players in the assists column with 40. Eryn Walker was the Lions’ leader in digs with 11, and Kayla Rymer trailed with 10. Lawson served up three aces to help Bryan, and Mosley recorded two solo blocks.
“Overall I’m pleased with the way we played,” said Bryan Head Coach, Jessica Day. “We started really slow in the first set and made a few too many unforced errors, but we pulled it together in the 2nd and 3rd sets. After a long, restful weekend, I think the girls were ready to get back on the court and compete. We did just that, and all for a good cause in our Dig Pink game.”
The Lions get one day of rest and are back at it on Thursday, Oct. 13th, when they travel to Life University (Ga.) for a tri-match versus the University of Windsor Lancers (Ontario) at 5pm and Life Running Eagles at 7pm.