9-10 Volleyball Completes Weekend Sweep

     Bryan College completed its first weekend sweep under 3rd year head coach Leo Sayles with wins over Montreat, Brevard and Brewton-Parker during its North Carolina tour on Friday and Saturday.
     Bryan traveled to Montreat College and emerged with their first victory at MC in Coach Sayles' tenure at Bryan. The Lions battled for a 3-1 (24-30, 30-28, 30-28, 31-29) victory behind tremendous up front play of freshman Middle Hitter Amber Smith, who finished the match with 17 kills (.557 hitting percentage) and 4 aces. Freshman setter Jennifer Loveday dished out 44 assists and 7 digs. Co-captain Kathryn Rawley, in her first match after a preseason injury, was almost flawless passing, finishing with 17 receptions and no errors, and tallying 15 digs. Sophomore Robin Renfroe finished with 13 kills and contributed on 6 blocks (4 solo).
     “This victory definitely set the tone for the weekend,” commented Coach Sayles. “Heather Hacker has done an absolutely tremendous job as our libero while Rawley was recovering from her injury. However, Hacker is now injured, and glady relinquished her libero position back to Kat. The team responded very well.”
     After defeating Montreat Friday, the Lions opened with a 3-1 win at Brevard Saturday morning (17-30, 30-20, 30-21, 30-20). The Lions started slowly, struggling with their serve receptions in game 1, but settled down and took control of game 2 early, and never relinquishing control the rest of the match. Consistent serving (93%) and passing (92%) were keys to opening up Bryan’s offensive attack.
     Coach Sayles commented, “Although we were sluggish the first game, we could see that we could take control by just settling down. We really were just a little off in game one, but that little bit can make a big difference in the score.”
     Setter Jenny Loveday dished out 40 assists, served 3 aces and recorded 14 digs in the win. MB Amber Smith continued to shine in the middle, tallying 14 kills on .423 hitting percentage and 4.5 blocks. Smith also led the Lions in service points. Captain Abby Humphrey contributed 16 kills and 13 digs in a solid match. The victory over Brevard, although not a conference victory, was a major lift to Bryan’s returners, who had gone 0-7 their last seven meetings, including a loss in the first round of last season’s conference tournament.
     After a short break, the Lions returned to action against Brewton-Parker College. The Lions cruised to a 3-0 victory (30-23, 30-23, 30-22), rallying from a 14-7 deficit in game 3 to close out the match. Once again solid passing, consistent serving, and excellent decision-making by setter Loveday and the Lion hitters put Bryan in control.
     “We have discussed the importance of winning the service and reception game all season, and can see the results when we do so,” commented Sayles. The middle combination of Smith and Renfroe combined for 21 kills and 7 blocks in the match.
     Smith finished the weekend with 44 kills. Loveday contributed 122 assists, and Robin Renfroe controlled the middle with 32 kills, 9 solo blocks, and 9 assisted blocks. Libero Kathryn Rawley was tremendous in her return to the court. Rawley, playing with a heavily bandaged finger, was almost perfect in serve receptions (97%) and serving (100%) to lead the Lions in controlling the serve and receptions. Rawley also totaled 53 digs on the weekend.
     “This was a tremendous weekend for the team,” commented Coach Sayles. “ It was the first time this season we actually had both our captains on the floor. Our freshmen are playing with maturity, and our bench is contributing without missing a beat. The team is starting to play with confidence. They have made several major adjustments mid-game, and have shown the ability to come from behind and finish games. Hopefully, we can maintain that confidence as we rest up this week and take two more victories next weekend.”
     Bryan, now 1-1 in conference and 6-6 overall, takes a break due to the rescheduling of the Covenant match (moved from Sept. 12 to Oct. 3 at Bryan). The Lions will return to action on the road next weekend against Univ. of Virginia at Wise and Bluefield College.