SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- A night after setting career high in kills (14), freshman Molli Pugh took just one game to eclipse that mark, throwing down a career-high 16 spikes as John Brown (13-16, 7-5 SAC) rallied for the second-consecutive night to defeat Southwestern A.G. (Texas), 3-2 (25-15, 22-25, 19-25, 25-14, 15-3), this afternoon at Bill George Arena.
Pugh completed her third career double-double by notching 17 digs and helping out with fix blocks on the afternoon. Two other players reached double-digit kills as senior Erin McIlroy and sophomore Melissa Bakke each chipped in with 10 apiece. McIlroy paced the Golden Eagles with seven blocks, none more important than the trio of rejections in the fifth set to power JBU to a convincing win.
The victory over the Lady Lions (14-13. 7-6 SAC) marks the third straight over SAGU, dating back to last season, as John Brown earned the season sweep.
The Golden Eagles came out firing in the first set, posting a .409 hitting percentage. Sporting a three-point advantage, 10-7, JBU began a 7-2 run, keyed by McIlroy, to blow the set open. Over the next nine point, McIlroy threw down three kills as senior Kailey Bain contributed two service aces over the stretch. Leading 19-10, John Brown sealed the victory when freshman Shayna Daniels' service ace setup a resounding kill from Pugh.
Unfortunately for the hosts, its above-average attacking would begin to sputter over the next two sets as SAGU posted .163-.152 and .303-.194 advantage over frames two and three. Down 14-11 in the second stanza, John Brown allowed the Lady Lions to piece together a 6-2 run placing the set out of reach for the Golden Eagles as back-to-back errors added fuel to the SAGU streak. The third set featured five ties as the squads were deadlocked at 15 apiece. However, five JBU miscues keyed the 10-4 run that the Lady Lions needed to capture the set and take a 2-1 lead.
The Golden Eagles jetted out to a quick 10-3 advantage in the fourth frame, courtesy of a trio of Bakke kills that complimented services aces from senior Stacie Williamson and Daniels. Errors were committed by the Lady Lions at a rampant rate, seven total in the set, allowing the Golden Eagles to maintain a healthy lead throughout the set. Three timely Williamson kills continued the JBU dominance as she transitioned from libero to defensive specialist mid-match. Her third spike closed out the set in favor of the hosts, forcing a second fifth set in under 24 hours.
The final set was all John Brown. McIlroy and Pugh took over the final frame as the duo combined for five kills to push John Brown to an impressive 10-2 lead. Perhaps more impressively, McIlroy's dominance at the net was on display when the senior swatted three straight SAGU attack attempts. With an eight-point advantage in hand, the Golden Eagles wouldn't let up, finishing the match on a 5-1 run to close out a 2-0 weekend slate of matches.
Sophomore Tiffany Hunnicutt threw up a career-high five blocks, two of which occurred in the deciding game. Bain matched a season high with 32 helpers while Williamson scooped up a match-high 26 digs.
SAGU's Jessica Sodich landed a double-double, finishing with 15 kills and 11 digs while teammate Taylor Calverly threw around 40 helpers, assisting on 40 of the Lady Lions 48 total kills.
JBU's 61 kills finished as its second-highest output of the season. Additionally, its 28 blocks over two matches is the most of any two-game totals in 2013.
With the victory, coupled with Texas Wesleyan's victory over Oklahoma City, John Brown now moves into a three-way tie with the aforementioned squads for third place in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings. The Golden Eagles have four mates left in the regular season, two of which are against teams tied or ahead in the standings while the final two tilts are with squads in the lower tier of the conference.
The Golden Eagles will return to the hardwood on Friday (Nov. 1) in Oklahoma City as JBU will take on the Stars in a crucial match at Abe Lemons Arena at 4:00 p.m.
