SHAWNEE, Okla. -- Senior Erin McIlroy finished her career with a team-high 11 kills and senior Staci Williamson collected a team-high 18 digs, but fourth-seeded Oklahoma City (19-13) upended fifth-seeded John Brown (15-19), 3-0 (27-29, 17-25, 20-25), this afternoon at Mabee Arena on the campus of Oklahoma Baptist, ending the Golden Eagles' season.
McIlroy hit a match-high .526 percent (11-1-19) and sophomore Tiffany Hunnicutt earned a .429 clip (4-1-7) to pace the Golden Eagle offense. Sophomore Melissa Bakke chipped in with seven kills and a pair of digs. Senior Kailey Bain and freshman Shayna Daniels combined for 29 assists, 17 and 12, respectively. McIlroy threw up a team-high two rejections as four other JBU players earned a block assist.
The first set featured eight ties, but with JBU leading 21-19, the Stars rallied to a 5-3 run, knotting the score at 24 apiece. The Golden Eagles took the advantage after a McIlroy termination, but back-to-back OCU points returned the lead back to the Stars. A City error tied the match again before a Molli Pugh kill pulled John Brown even again at 27 apiece. The Stars finally closed out the set with consecutive kills.
The second set saw both teams battle to a 15-all tie until Oklahoma City jetted to a 10-2 run to close the set. The lone Golden Eagle points were a result of a Bakke kill and an OCU error. The final set featured numerous JBU advantages, including a 19-16 lead late in the frame. Three service aces powered the Stars to yet another late-set rally, finishing John Brown off with a 9-1 run.
JBU finished the match hitting at a .178 percent (31-12-107) pace, but was limited to .094 percent in the second stanza and a .188 percent clip in the final set. Oklahoma City earned a .234 percent (49-19-128) hitting afternoon and finished above .200 percent in each game.
Prior to the match, the Sooner Athletic Conference offices announced the 2013 All-Conference teams. McIlroy was the lone Golden Eagle named to the first team while Williamson and Pugh were given second team commendations. John Brown setters Bain and Daniels were both awarded Honorable Mention as was sophomore Audrey Dearien.
