MEISENHEIMER, N.C. – The Brevard College volleyball team completed a pair of sweeps on Sunday afternoon to move to 2-1 on the season. After a morning session win over Virginia Union, Brevard returned to the court in the afternoon to post a 25-14, 25-20 and 25-12 win over Pfeiffer.
The trio of Rachel Ruble, Stephanie Lambert and Whitney DeMoss led the way for a well-balanced Brevard squad that finished with 35 kills and a .325 attack percentage which came as a result of just eight miscues in 83 total attacks. Individually, Lambert and DeMoss had better than a .350, posting a .368 and .467, respectively.
Brevard also got a solid performance from Josie McElroy (25 assists), Maggie Weiss (15 digs) and Lambert (four assisted blocks), as it earned the Pfeiffer Tournament crown. The Tornados' defense limited the Falcons to a .093 attack percentage, forcing 15 errors in 75 total attacks.
The Tornados took a commanding 17-9 lead in the early going of the first set behind four service aces and two kills each from Elmore and Lambert. Strikes by Ruble and Lambert highlighted Brevard's offensive attack, which assumed a 23-13 advantage, as a pair of unforced errors by the Falcons provided the opening set win.
Kills by Ruble, DeMoss and Elmore helped the offense get itself into an offensive rhythm as Brevard established an 11-4 advantage. A brief rally by the Falcons trimmed the lead to five, 12-7, but a kill by Ruble and three straight service aces by Weiss stretched the margin to 17-9.
Another late surge by Pfeiffer made a significant cut into the Tornados' lead, 22-20, but Jenkins and Ruble added back-to-back kills to put Brevard at set point. A late Falcons timeout was followed by Weiss' ace as Brevard took a 2-0 lead with the five-point victory.
Two kills and a service ace by Lambert were key in providing the Tornados with a 13-4 advantage in the third set as Brevard looked to close out its second sweep of the day. A Pfeiffer kill by Erin Errington briefly slowed the Tornados, who followed with kills by Jenkins, DeMoss and McElroy to move in front 18-8.
Brevard eclipsed the 20-point mark with a service ace by Bri Vargas and two kills down the stretch by Jordan Lloyd moved the Tornados over the .500 mark on the season.
Brevard 3, Virginia Union 0
The offensive tandem of Rachel Ruble and Hannah Elmore, who tallied 10 kills apiece, along with the defensive efforts of Kathryn Beasley (10 digs) and Maggie Weiss (nine) led Brevard to a sweep of Virginia Union by scores of 25-18, 25-21 and 27-25 in the second day of the Pfeiffer University tournament.
Along with the Ruble and Elmore the Tornados, who tallied 36 kills in the morning session, also received a solid outing from Stephanie Lambert, who drove home nine kills in 26 attempts. Setter Josie McElroy handed out a match-high 29 assists to go along with three service aces and two digs.
Assisting Beasley and Weiss in shutting down the Virginia Union offense were Lambert and Whitney DeMoss, who recorded two assisted blocks apiece.
Brevard's offense was clicking on all cylinders in the opening frame, jumping out to a 10-5 advantage behind the combination of Bri Vargas in serve and a series of kills from Elmore. Virginia Union made a slight surge, trimming the margin to four, before a series of strikes by DeMoss, Lambert and Ruble stretched the Tornado lead to 18-11.
With the combination of Ruble, McElroy and DeMoss penetrating the Panthers defense with kills, Brevard's lead expanded to 24-15. Virginia Union scored the next three unanswered points before an unforced error provided Brevard with the first set victory.
Using momentum gained from the close of the first, Virginia Union's offense went back-and-forth with Brevard in the early stages of the second as the two teams traded the lead and battled to a pair of ties before an eventual 17-17 deadlock. It was there that kills by Lambert and Elmore allowed the Tornados to take a 20-17 lead.
The Panthers made one final push, using kills by Ambryanna Moore and Zaquae Downton, to force a 21-all tie. Lambert answered, putting Brevard in front by one, before Beasley took over in serve and came away with back-to-back service aces to lead the way for a four-point win.
Virginia Union capitalized on five points from Downton as it established a 10-5 lead in the third set. The Tornado offense regained its previous form, using three kills by Elmore and a service ace from McElroy to pull even at 11.
The two units traded points, enduring five ties over the next 18 points, reaching a 20-all deadlock. The Panthers took advantage of two unforced errors, moving with three points of the win, before two kills from Ruble and a strike by Elmore knotted the contest at 24. Leading 26-25, following a kill by Ruble, Lambert slammed the door on the Panthers comeback with a block for the win.
Brevard returns to the court on Wednesday at 7 p.m. when the Tornados head to Salem.