SANTA CRUZ, Calif. -- The Bruins hit the court for the first time this season in California against Gustavus Adolphus and UC Santa Cruz.

How It Happened - Gustavus Adolphus
The Bruins opened their season with a competitive first frame, staying within two points for the first 20 points of the game before the Golden Gusties jumped out to a 17-11 lead. The Bruins rattled off four points late but dropped the first set, 21-25.

After a 14-25 second set loss, the Bruins fought hard to battle their way back in the third, taking a 24-20 lead late thanks to consecutive attack errors from Gustavus. However, a late run from the Gusties upset the Bruins in the third, as the Gusties rattled off six straight points to complete the sweep, 26-24.

How It Happened - UC Santa Cruz
In their second game, the Bruins bounced back with a victory in the first and third sets over UC Santa Cruz.  Fox held off the Slugs for the entire first set, grabbing a lead after the third point and never looking back in a 25-22 first set victory.

After dropping the next set, the Bruins came back with a vengeance,  Santa Cruz took the lead and claimed victory 15-11, handing Fox their second loss of the day. The Bruins traded points with the Slugs in the waning moments of the set before a thunderous set from Kassandra Staton gave Fox the 25-23 win.

From there, though, the Bruins were unable to close: an early 5-0 run from the Slugs put Fox in a hole in the fourth set; a set the Bruins never got back into in their 16-25 loss. In the winner-take-all fifth set, Fox got out to an early head start —- a block from Staton and Emily Blagg gave the Bruins a 4-0 lead. However, the Slugs responded with an extended 13-4 run to put things away, with Fox falling in the fifth, 11-13.

Top Performers
Kassandra Staton led the Bruins in kills for both games, collecting six in game one and nine in game two for a total of twelve on the day.  In the assist department, Kennedy Kibby recorded 17 in game one and 30 in game two, totalling 47 on the day.  On the points side, Staton and Addison Robertson each contributed six, with Staton contributing 13 in game two to total 19 and lead the team on the day.    

Coach's Thoughts
"I'm glad we were able to battle back after a very passive performance against Gustavus the first match," Bruin head coach Emily Davis said, "Santa Cruz has a great squad, I wish we would have been able to finish stronger in the fifth set but I'm hopeful we can come back strong tomorrow and glean a lot from the weekend."

What It Means
The Bruins fall to 0-2 to start the season, and though it is not the start they had hoped for, they hope to bounce back and build momentum heading into the start of their season.    

What Happens Next
After their first two games, the Bruins look to bounce back tomorrow against Samlin tomorrow 10 am to round out their road trip.