SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- In its third attempt to secure a victory over Ozarks (Mo.) this season, the Golden Eagles (7-12) did just that after receiving a match-high 19 kills from Audrey Dearien to hand the Bobcats (11-10) a 3-1 (23-25, 26-24, 25-23, 25-23) win tonight inside Bill George Arena.
Not only did the sophomore from Frisco, Texas, earn her a season-high in spikes, Dearien notched a match-high five service aces en route to the victory. John Brown entered the match 0-2 against the Bobcats in 2013, losing a five-set thriller in Point Lookout, Mo., before being swept 3-0 in Salina, Kan.
"The ladies made adjustments quickly tonight that really paid off," noted head coach Stacie Johnson. "The teamwork was amazing and the way the offense was run tonight shows what we work so hard on can be successful. Our defense improved after the first set and we hope to continue to limit errors while maintaining a high level of aggressiveness."
As usual, freshman Shayna Daniels and senior Kailey Bain ran the much-improved Golden Eagle offense, notching a season-high 63 kills, courtesy of another season high, 61 assists from the passing duo. Bain landed a match-high and season-high 32 helpers while Daniels dished out 26 assists.
Ozarks held an early 10-5 lead in the first set before three Dearien kills pulled the Golden Eagles to within 11-9. Two Bobcat attack errors and Dearien's first service ace of the evening allowed JBU to pull ahead, 14-13, setting a see-saw battle down the stretch.
After three consecutive ties, Ozarks pieced together a small 5-1 run, creating some distance from the hosts. A well-timed block from Dearien and senior Erin McIlroy closed the gap to two, 22-20, but a pair of McIlroy kills weren't enough as John Brown lost the first game, 25-23.
Both teams hit incredibly well over the first stanza, as each squad recorded over a .300 hitting percentage.
The second set was all Golden Eagles at first as kills from Dearien, junior Courtney Marshall and a trio of McIlroy attacks built an 8-1 lead for JBU. The Bobcats responded by a small 6-2 run, forcing the score to a more reasonable deficit, 10-7. A kill from freshman Molli Pugh stalled the Bobcat response only slightly as the visitors held to within three points, 14-11.
The Golden Eagles continued its push back and received a timely kill from sophomore Tiffany Hunnicutt before a Bakke spike pushed the lead back to six, 21-15. Clinging to a 24-20 lead, two JBU attack errors coupled with a pair of Bobcat strikes all of a sudden knotted the set at 24. Daniels played a perfect ball to McIlroy for the go-ahead tally before an Ozark error allowed the Golden Eagles to win the set, 26-24, and tie the match at one apiece.
The Bobcats reversed the Golden Eagles' hard-earned early lead in the third game as Ozarks used two JBU errors to build a 5-1 advantage. Down 8-4, three consecutive Bobcat errors allowed John Brown to tie the score at 10, setting up a run that would put the Golden Eagles on top for the majority of the game. Dearien netted back-to-back kills before dishing out three service aces, handing the hosts a 16-12 advantage.
Strikes from Hunnicutt and Blasingame pushed the lead to 19-13. The Bobcats wouldn't go quietly, however, rallying to a 9-5 run to pull within 23-22 until a Dearien kill ended the bleeding. Up 24-22, Blasingame ended the set, 25-23, with a thunderous kill from the middle, notching a 2-1 advantage for the hosts.
The fourth set was again filled with drama as both squads faced a pair of ties early in the game. Knotted at seven apiece, two Bakke errors allowed the Bobcats a narrow lead until Dearien's fifth ace of the match returned the score to 11-11. Both squads struggled for momentum through the middle portions of the fourth stanza, but neither was able to gain a foothold.
After three consecutive ties, a one-point Ozark lead (21-20) was quickly erased when Bain assisted back-to-back booming kills from junior Vanessa Uhrhahn, returning the lead back to the Golden Eagles. A pair of JBU attacking errors allowed the Bobcats hope, but a Bakke kill ended the Ozark comeback chance, jetting John Brown to the 25-23 set win and a 3-1 match victory.
McIlroy ended the match with 10 spikes and eight digs while Bakke finished with nine kills. Pugh chipped in with seven kills as Blasingame and Marshall each tallied five apiece. Staci Williamson paced the Golden Eagle defense with 18 digs in the winning effort while Pugh and Daniels each finished in double-digits scoops with 12 and 11, respectively. John Brown was very active on the block as McIlroy finished with three assists while teammates Dearien, Bakke and Pugh each posted two apiece.
The victory halted the Bobcats' two-game winning streak while starting a two-match winning streak for the Golden Eagles. John Brown will now embark on one of its two Texas road trips this weekend, facing Texas Wesleyan and Southwestern A.G. JBU will bout with the Rams in Ft. Worth on Friday (Sept. 27) at 7:00 p.m. before a 1:00 p.m. tilt with the Lions in Waxahachie on Saturday (Sept. 28).
