Nov. 15, 2007 - Freshman libero Casey Bruno was the catalyst behind a school record-setting 17-0 first-game run as the No. 4 Bulldog volleyball team kicked off the 2007 postseason with style, beating the 8th-seeded Albany (Ga.) State 3-0 (-6, -18, -14) Thursday night. Truman hit .519 (50-8-81) and finished with 15 service aces en route to a second-round match with 4th-seeded Emporia State.
The first-game run, led by Bruno's serving, started off an Erin Hattey kill to make the score 7-4. Seven service aces, four Eli Medina kills and a handful of Rams hitting errors later, Truman held a 23-4 lead and a tie with a 2003 NCAA Division II record for consecutive service points.
The easy win gave Truman a chance to rest many of its starters for the second round - set to pit the Bulldogs and ESU Hornets against each other for the third straight weekend. Truman has held the advantage in both matches so far, winning each by 3-1 scores.
Freshman Allison Barker led the Bulldogs with nine kills as 11 squad members tallied at least one kill. Senior setter Amanda Holliday led sophomore Krysta Tholen and freshman Ashley Petak in the double-digit assists category, while three Truman players finished with a team-high five digs.
Albany State (21-15), placed in the tournament after securing the automatic bid from the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, hit .105 for the night and had three team blocks.
The Bulldogs (35-5) will be one of four MIAA teams in the regional semifinals tomorrow night, as 6th-seeded Central Missouri takes on 2nd-seeded Washburn in Friday's 4:30 match, before the top-seeded 'Dogs play the 4th-seeded Hornets at 7:00 p.m. Please see the South Central Regional page on the front of gobulldogs.truman.edu.