Warner Southern - Boxscore
Clearwater Christian - Boxscore
Bluefield - Boxscore
CLEARWATER, FL –Yes, they can play, and yes, they do need work.
After day one, the above statement can accurately capture head coach Julie Brubaker’s breakdown of her team’s overall performance on opening day.
The Crimson Eagles regularly showed promising signs of dominance Friday afternoon, but - at times - also exhibited what can probably be chalked up to as early-season blunders.
“I thought we had a relatively good start to our season today,” Brubaker said. “We definitely need work, but overall I think we played pretty well against several very impressive teams.”
Brubaker’s squad finished opening day of Clearwater Christian College’s kick-off tournament with a 2-1 overall record, their only setback coming in a 3-0 sweep against the host institution.
Although not as easily as it initially may seem, the Crimson Eagles started off the afternoon by downing Warner Southern College in three straight sets. The Royals, a traditionally strong NAIA program, kept things close but eventually succumbed by scores of by scores of 25-21, 25-21, and 25-17. Second-year outside hitter Carly Plank ended with 12 kills, six digs, and a solo ace in the win. Senior captain Becky Williams added seven kills and six digs, and junior setter Betsy Ranck finished with a game high of 24 assists and eight digs.
The Crimson Eagles struggled early against a powerful Clearwater team in match number two as the Cougars easily handled PBU by scores 25-22, 25-9, and 25-18. Williams led the way with nine kills and seven digs while Ranck added 15 assists and eight digs on the defensive end. Rebekah Morrison, a 5’9 rookie outside hitter, chipped in five kills.
Looking to get back on track in their final contest of opening day, PBU cruised past Bluefield College in a 3-0 rout that included a 25-9 win in the second set. The Crimson Eagles won by scores of 25-22 and 25-18 in games one and three, respectively. Plank finished with 11 kills, six digs, and a .276 hitting percentage in the contest. Williams added nine kills and 13 digs, while Ranck filled up the stat-sheet with 25 assists, 10 digs, four aces, and three blocks.
“Our young players are already really stepping up big for us and I’m happy with how quickly we’ve already begun to jell as a unit,” Brubaker noted. “We passed well and played good defensively today. I’m hoping we can carry that into tomorrow.”
The Crimson Eagles will continue play in the opening six-team tournament with a match against Ava Maria University at 11:30 am Saturday morning. Brubaker’s squad will follow up with their final match of the weekend against Asbury College at 1:30 pm.
