Boston College kept rolling in Chestnut Hill, using a fast start and steady pressure to sweep Bucknell in straight sets and pick up its second win of the Boston College Invitational.
The Eagles were in control from the opening whistle, winning 25-3, 25-14, 25-17 to improve to 4-0 overall and 0-0 in ACC play. Boston College is now 4-1 all-time against Bucknell, with the last three meetings all ending in sweeps.
Audrey Ross was once again the centerpiece of the attack. She finished with a match-high 15 kills on .481 hitting, marking her fourth straight match in double figures.
Ross also added five blocks and 11 digs. Lucie Vesela kept the offense moving with 14 assists for the second consecutive match, along with a service ace and five digs.
Laney Blevins and Sam Hoppes each chipped in five kills, and Sofija Marjanovic matched her career high with three service aces.
The tone was set immediately in the first set, when Boston College ripped off an 11-0 run. Marjanovic served up all three of her aces during that stretch, while Blevins and Ross each found the floor to force a Bucknell timeout.
The Eagles never let up from there, giving up just three points in the set. Ross added four more kills, Hoppes had two, and Naomi Watson joined the scoring before BC closed out a 25-3 rout.
The second set was more competitive early, with the teams trading points before Boston College put together another push to go up 10-5. The Eagles kept Bucknell under pressure with service and attacking errors, stretching the lead to six at the media timeout. Four different Eagles then combined for six kills to widen the gap to 21-14, and BC finished the set with Ross’ 10th kill and three more Bucknell attacking errors.
Bucknell got the jump in the third set, but Watson answered with back-to-back kills to pull Boston College back level. The set stayed tight in the opening stretch until Ross and Blevins helped the Eagles seize control again, building a 15-10 lead heading into the media timeout.
Boston College then opened up a 10-point cushion after forcing several Bucknell errors, capped by Ross’ 15th kill of the night. Bucknell made one last push with a 5-0 run after the Eagles reached match point, but Boston College held on to finish the sweep.
Boston College will go for its fifth win of the season and a sweep of the invitational on Saturday, September 5, when it hosts New Hampshire at 2 p.m. in the Margot Connell Center. The match will stream on ACCNX.
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