Box Score
BRISTOL, TN - The Crimson Eagles' difficulties on their voyage south continued Tuesday evening as the group was pounded into submission by King College during a 3-0 sweep.
The NAIA powerhouse took down the visitors in three straight sets, marking the second consecutive contest and third match of the year that PBU has failed to triumph in at least one set. The Tornado won by scores of 25-23, 25-23, 25-20.
Despite actually getting outpaced by the visitors in the kill department (40-36), King capitalized on 23 Crimson Eagle attack errors on the night to go with 10 service blunders from their counterpart.
Ranked eighth nationally in the latest coaches' poll, the Crimson Eagles found themselves down early against the Tornado as the host group took a 6-2 edge in the first stanza. King pushed the advantage to 13-5 and eventually 21-13 before a torrid spurt from the visitors almost pulled off the miracle comeback.
PBU closed out the match on a 10-4 run fueled by four Crimson Eagle kills down the stretch. However, it was too little to late as the Tornado held on for the 25-23 opening set win.
The visitors opened up game number two by going ahead 4-2, but a 10-8 mini-rally evened things at 12-all midway through the set. King secured the next five points thanks to several unforced Crimson Eagles blunders, and despite another late push from PBU, the host group held on down the stretch for their second straight two point victory.
King wasted little time in the third frame, blowing out to a 9-4 edge from the get-go. The host squad would balloon the margin to 19-12, finishing out the final set with a comfortable five point victory.
The host squad put up a wall on the defensive end, turning away 14 Crimson Eagle attacks en route to a 14-4 edge in total team blocks. PBU was hindered with 10 service errors and was outpaced in attack efficiency (.313 to .170).
It marks the Crimson Eagles' third straight defeat, their longest losing skid in over a full year.
Senior Justin Brubaker paced the Crimson Eagles with 19 kills and Josh Tuttle added nine digs on the defensive end.
With their spring break road trip complete, the volleyball team will return to the friendly confines of the Mason Activity Center next Tuesday during a date with visiting SUNY New Paltz at 7:00 pm.
