Tigers Volleyball Opens Season With Big Win

Gainesville, GA- The Brenau volleyball team opened their season tonight with a five-set victory over Reinhardt College, a team they had not defeated in seven years. The match was close throughout with both teams showing remarkable mental toughness and resilience. BU fell behind early in the first game, but rallied to pull out a tough 25-20 win. Reinhardt returned the favor in game two, hanging on for a 25-22 win to even the match. In game three, the Tigers fought back from a 24-19 deficit to eke out a 26-24 decision. Reinhardt again evened the match with a close 25-23 win in game four, setting up the deciding game five. In the only game of the evening the Tigers led throughout, Brenau sealed the deal with a 15-12 win. Sophomore Alexis Arthur was huge tonight, with 20 kills, two assists, three digs and two blocks. Senior Karen Green also had a big night, with 14 kills, two aces, 13 digs and a block and Junior outside hitter Courtney Frady chipped in with 11 kills, six digs, four blocks and two assists. The other two seniors also contributed in a big way, with Audra VanArsdale accumulating 48 assists, 10 digs, three aces and a block, and Maida Smajic coming up with 34 receptions and 15 digs in the match. Coach Meredith Matthews was understandably pleased with the effort, saying "that is the first time since I have been here that we did exactly what we were supposed to do for the entire match. We played to win and showed great mental toughness and the ability to come back. The errors we made were because we were agressive, which is a big step." Brenau now travels to Meredith College, NC for a tournament over the weekend.