SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- John Brown (15-18, 9-7 SAC) couldn't send a single player into double-digit kills as No. 15 Wayland Baptist (Texas) limited the Golden Eagles to a .067 hitting percentage on the night en route to a 3-0 (18-25,22-25,17-25) loss at Bill George Arena this evening.
Sophomore Melissa Bakke tallied a team-high seven kills while senior Erin McIlroy, sophomore Tiffany Hunnicutt and freshman Molli Pugh each earned four kills apeice. Senior Staci Williamson landed a match-high 18 digs while senior Kailey Bain dished out 11 assists in their final home game.
JBU tooks its first lead of the initial set at 18-17 when Bakke ended a strong rally. The Golden Eagles wouldn't record another point as the Pioneers took the next eight points, three of which occurred from John Brown miscues. The second set saw WBU pull ahead 6-1 before an 11-7 Golden Eagle rally, which was fueled by a pair of Bakke spikes, pulled the hosts within 21-20. Yet again, the Pioneers used a late-set rally, this time of the 4-2 variety, to steal the second set and take a commanding 2-0 lead.
The final set saw the teams tied at nine apiece when the Pioneers began creating distance by streaking to a 5-0 rally that was keyed by a pair of Natasha Giacomazzi aces and a tandem of John Brown errors. Although John Brown would battle to a 16-14 deficit, the Pioneers ended the match on a 9-3 run to close out the match.
Freshman Shayna Daniels finished the evening with a double-double, notching 11 assists and 14 digs. Pugh also chipped in with double-digit digs, earning 11.
The Pioneers (28-5, 13-2 SAC) finished the evening with a .250 hitting percentage (43-12-124) while limiting the Golden Eagles to just .067 percent (27-19-120). Three players finished with negative hitting percentages for JBU in the losing effort.
With the loss, John Brown finishes with the No. 5 seed in the upcoming Sooner Athletic Conference tournament, which will be held next weekend at Oklahoma Baptist. The Golden Eagles will face Oklahoma City in the tournament quarterfinals as the Stars have handed JBU a pair of defeats on the season, coming on Oct. 2 and Nov. 1.
