OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. -- Reeling from a tough 3-1 loss on Friday to Oklahoma City, the Golden Eagles (14-17, 8-6 SAC) returned to the win column with a convincing 3-1 (22-25, 25-12, 25-14, 25-15) victory over Mid-America Christian (Okla.) this afternoon at the Gaulke Activity Center.
Freshman Molli Pugh again paced the Golden Eagles with a match-high 13 kills. She also landed eight digs and threw up a pair of solo blocks. Junior Vanessa Uhrhahn spiked a career-high 12 kills in the winning effort while grabbing eight digs and two blocks.
Mid-America Christian (5-22, 2-12 SAC) won the first set, 25-22, behind a .259 percent hitting clip, limiting JBU to a mere .171 percent in the process. The first set featured 17 ties as both teams were knotted at 20. Two MACU kills coupled with an ace and two John Brown attack errors allowed the Evangels a 1-0 lead.
John Brown responded by rattling off three-consecutive wins, not allowing Mid-America Christian to score more than 15 points in any of the final three games.
The second set featured a 13-4 Golden Eagle run to open the game. Up 6-4, freshman Shayna Daniels served over two aces and allowed three different players to score a point while she dished out four assists over the span. The squads were deadlocked at six apiece in game three until a 10-2 John Brown run ended the set, keyed by kills from Courtney Marshall, Erin McIlroy and Uhrhahn. Finally, sporting a slight 15-11 lead, the Golden Eagles rallied to a 25-15 win, sparked by a 10-4 run. Five different players landed kills over the stretch as Pugh notched three spikes and Daniels chipped in with a pair of successful attacks.
JBU finished the match hitting over .340 percent in sets 2-4, finishing the afternoon hitting at a .322 percent clip. The Lady Evangels, after its strong first set, managed just .005 percent in the final three sets.
Senior Staci Williamson finished the match with a game-high 18 digs. Daniels dished out 31 helpers. Impressively, the Golden Eagles didn't allow a single MACU player to reach double-digit kills in the outing.
JBU returns to the court on Tuesday (Nov. 5) to take on Southwestern Christian (Okla.) in Bethany, Okla. Game time is set for 6:00 p.m.
