Bryan Tops Covenant in 5
Bryan College outlasted visiting Covenant College in a classic 5-game battle Tuesday night, Oct. 3, in Summers gymnasium. The Lions topped the Scots 3-2 (27-30, 30-15, 30-16, 28-30, 15-8) for their second victory over Covenant this season, both in 5 games.
The Scots controlled the first game and fought off a late charge from the Lions. In Game 2, Abby Humphrey served up 8 service points in a row to give the Lions a 17-7 lead, and they never looked back. The Lion offense was on target in game 3, and the Lions appeared ready to run away with the match after building an early 4-point lead in game 4. The Scots were not to be outdone and fought their way back, and the teams stayed within 2 the entire game until Covenant was able to close it out with a kill. In game 5, both teams were locked at 7-7 until Humphrey again stepped back to serve and gave the Lions an 11-7 lead. The Lions finished off with strong kills by Robin Renfroe and Amber Smith to close the game and match, 15-8.
The win, coupled with a King victory over Virginia Intermont, places Bryan in second place with a slim ½ game lead over VIC as the teams enter the second half of conference play.
On the night, Brittany Carter was outstanding at the hitter position, with 15 kills (.454 with no errors) and a PR 25 digs. Humphrey served up 4 aces, along with 14 kills and 21 digs. Amber Smith (19 kills, .342) and Robin Renfroe (18 kills, .315) were strong in the middle offensively for the Lions. Setter Jenny Loveday dished out 57 assists, and totaled 11 digs. Kaylin Carswell came off the bench in game two, and stayed on the floor the rest of the match, giving the Lions valuable play, with 4 kills and 12 crucial digs.
"We started a little flat tonight," commented Coach Sayles. "One player said she thinks the team was not ready for Covenant to come and battle so hard. Truth to tell, this is a COVENANT match, and will always be big. The team responded well in games 2 and 3, but started to get a little frantic when Covenant would not roll over in game 4. It is the first time I have seen the girls play 'not to lose,' instead of playing to win. I give our girls credit, though. They withstood another storm, and God blessed us with a victory tonight. I am very pleased with our play and hope we can learn some small but valuable lessons from tonight."
Bryan, now 7-2 in conference (14-7 overall) takes a short reprieve from conference play to host a tri-match at homecoming this weekend. The Lions will host Bethel College at 11:00 a.m. and Atlanta Christian at 5:00 p.m.
In early action, the Junior Varsity team was led to victory behind the strong front row play of Alisen Ibsen, Rachel Meek, and Hannah Morley. The Lions beat Covenant 2-0 in a tough match. The Junior Varsity team is now 2-2, and will travel to Johnson Bible College Thursday for their next match.