Greenville, SC—Our PCC Lady Eagles volleyball team lost a five set thriller on the road to the Bob Jones University Lady Bruins (15-25, 25-22, 22-25, 25-22, 12-15) to fall to 7-5 on the season.

Ginger Cannon and Baylee Jensen tied for the team lead with 9 kills apiece. While freshman setter Piper Bledsoe racked up 17 assists in the five set match. Libero Anna Grace Carrick led the team with 21 digs on defense.
 
The Lady Eagles stepped into an electric environment of 1000+ fans in the Davis Field House in Greenville, South Carolina on Friday night for a matchup of two national powerhouse programs. The Lady Bruins came in 10-0 while the Lady Eagles found themselves sitting at 7-4 on the season.
 
Despite the incredible atmosphere, the Lady Eagles struggled out of the gate in the 1st set of tonight's thrilling game. Early kills by Hannah Harmon and Baylee Jensen, coupled with the strong play of freshman setter Piper Bledsoe helped the Lady Eagles stay in it. But, with the score tied 10-10, the Lady Bruins would go on to reel off a 15-5 run to secure the 1st set victory 25-15.
 
The Lady Eagles entered the 2nd set trailing a Lady Bruins volleyball team that was a perfect 30-0 in sets this year. The team was able to hang in close to the Lady Bruins. With the scored tied at 11 after 22 rallies, back-to-back kills by outside hitter Ginger Cannon helped jump start the Lady Eagles, but the Lady Bruins were not going to go quietly.
 
With the Lady Eagles leading 20-16 and threating to end the Lady Bruins streak, the team was able to put together a 4-0 run to knot the 2nd set up at 20, but it was the Lady Eagles offense led by Jasmine Baldonado that proved to be too much for the Lady Bruins. The Lady Eagles would go on to end the Bruins streak and secure the 2nd set 25-22 to tie the match up.
 
"We struggled in the 1st set to find our rhythm," Head Coach Calyn Ohman said after the game. She continued, "We were able to figure out where we needed to be in the 2nd set. We started to put ourselves in positions to succeed."
 
In the 3rd set, it was again the Lady Bruins that would prevail over the Lady Eagles. Despite a late lead over the Bruins, the Lady Eagles were unable to hold on. The Lady Bruins, led by the electric play of Katherine Ring, stormed back to secure the third set 25-22 and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
With their backs against the wall, the Lady Eagles were forced to dig deep against a team they had lost to just one week prior. The Lady Eagles led throughout the 4^th set of the match, but the Lady Bruins again put together a late run. Outside hitter Tiffany Dover, playing her first season of Lady Eagles Volleyball, came through for her team when they need her most. Her back-to-back kills helped seal a 4th set victory for the Lady Eagles.
 
Heading into the 5th set, the Lady Eagles hoped to get off to a fast start against a strong Lady Bruins team. Despite holding an early advantage in all four sets, the Lady Eagles were unable to duplicate their strong starts. The Lady Bruins, buoyed by the play of senior Katherine Ring who finished with a team high 15 kills, would win a back and forth 5th set to move to 11-0 on the season.
 
Asked after the game about the play of Katherine Ring, Head Coach Calyn Ohman responded, "She [Katherine Ring] is an amazing blocker. She also adds a strong hitting presence. Definitely a tough player to compete against."
 
With the loss, the Lady Eagles fell to 7-5 on the season and 4-2 in conference play with both losses coming at the hands of Bob Jones University Lady Bruins. The Lady Eagles will hope to get back on track when they play Toccoa Falls College and Georgia Northwestern Technical College at 12 and 2 p.m. CT tomorrow in Toccoa Falls, GA.
 
"We need to get it going early tomorrow against Toccoa Falls College." Head Coach Calyn Ohman continued after the game, "We need to be mentally aware from the first serve tomorrow in another big region matchup."