SHAWNEE, Okla. -- With the injury to John Brown's leading hitter, freshman Shayna Daniels had to fill an unfamiliar role and did so in a big way, recording her first career triple-double, leading the Golden Eagles (11-15, 5-4 SAC) to a 3-1 (21-25, 25-12, 25-8, 25-20) victory over St. Gregory's (Okla.) (5-17, 2-7 SAC) at the W.P. Wood Field House this afternoon.
With sophomore Audrey Dearien nursing an injury, head coach Stacie Johnson shuffled the lineup, calling on Daniels, a part-time setter, and senior Stacie Williamson, a libero, to contribute to the team's offensive output. Daniels responded by recording 14 kills, 15 assists and 11 digs. Williamson also stepped up, notching her first double-double of the season, finishing with 12 kills and a match-high 17 digs.
Senior Kailey Bain was the third Golden Eagle to at least record a double-double, as her team-high 18 assists complimented 13 digs from the back row. Senior Erin McIlroy chipped in with five kills and five digs. Five JBU players launched a service ace in the winning effort.
The host squad managed a first-set win that featured 12 ties and four lead changes. JBU led, 13-10, when St. Gregory's rattled off a decisive 7-1 run, mostly courtesy of Golden Eagle miscues. John Brown committed five of its nine errors in the set during the stretch. After cutting the Cavalier lead to two, 23-21, an SGU spike, coupled with another JBU error, closed out the frame.
The second set was close early, but the visitors were able to convert an 11-9 lead into a double-digit advantage courtesy of a 10-2 run, fueled by a pair of Daniels spikes. Daniels then served over an ace to effectively end the game.
The third set was all Golden Eagles as a 16-3 run dismissed any SGU hopes of taking a 2-1 lead. Ten of John Brown's 16 points were gifted to them off of Cavalier attack errors. JBU earned a .269 hitting percentage in the frame, its best of the night, while limiting the Cavs to a mere -.257, the host's second-straight set of negative attacking.
The final set was much closer, featuring 10 ties and three lead changes early. Nursing a narrow 15-14 advantage, the Golden Eagles were able to create just enough breathing room to capture the victory when Williamson unleashed three-straight kills, forcing a 19-15 lead. The hosts would later cut the Golden Eagle lead to two, 22-20, but Daniels' assist to Courtney Marshall set the stage for Daniels to end the match off a feed from Bain.
Netting its 15th-consecutive win over the Cavaliers, John Brown dominated each facet of the match, earning advantages in hitting percentage (.150-.000), kills (45-27), assists (34-23) and digs (81-63).
The Golden Eagles will rest for a few days before returning to action on Saturday (Oct. 19) when it welcomes conference leader, No. 8 Oklahoma Baptist to the Bill George Arena. Match kicks off at 2:00 p.m.
