WAXAHACHIE, Texas -- Reeling from a 3-0 sweep to Texas Wesleyan last night, coupled with a quick 1-0 hole in today's match, John Brown (8-13, 2-2 SAC) rallied to win three consecutive games, roaring past host Southwestern A.G. (Texas) by a final of 3-1 (19-25, 25-23, 25-18, 25-22).
Sophomore Audrey Dearien's team-high offensive output paced the Golden Eagles as the outside hitter turned in a game-high .417 attack percentage (18-3-36) while also landing her sixth double-double of the season with 14 digs in the winning effort. Sophomore Melissa Bakke joined Dearien in double-figure spikes with 10, finishing with a .148 hitting percentage (10-6-27). John Brown threw up nine blocks on the evening, paced by sophomore Molli Pugh's seven blocks which included a solo stuff. Senior Staci Williamson continued her defensive presence this season, chipping in with a match-high 22 digs to accompany a service ace. Teammates Kailey Bain and Shayna Daniels combined for 49 helpers, 26 and 23 respectively, while for the first time this season, not committing a single ball handling error.
JBU didn't fare well in the first set, finishing game one with a mere .103 hitting percentage (9-5-39) while allowing the Lady Lions (10-7, 3-2 SAC) a much better .214 percent (15-6-42) on the attack. Two consecutive attack errors gave SAGU an early 7-3 advantage before three Southwestern A.G. attacks built the Lady Lions a 12-6 lead. While the Golden Eagles struggled early on, three Southwestern A.G. miscues kept John Brown in the game, leading to a Dearien kill, forcing the score to 13-10. In what has seemed to become a shortcoming for the Golden Eagles all season long, SAGU pieced together a 7-4 mid-set run to take a commanding 20-14 lead. Williamson's service ace wasn't enough to keep the JBU response alive, as the Lady Lions nabbed the first set, 25-19.
Two errors to begin the second game by SAGU allowed John Brown an early lead it wouldn't relinquish the entire set. While the teams jockeyed for positioning, a pair of Bakke spikes in addition to a service ace from senior Erin McIlroy, one of her game-high two on the afternoon, built the largest JBU lead at 12-9. After three consecutive ties, a successful attack from Dearien preceded a service ace from Bain, mounting a 19-16 lead for the visitors. Knotted at 22, the Golden Eagles notched three of the final four points behind a pair of kills from Pugh and Dearien to even the match at one apiece, winning game two, 25-23.
Facing an early 8-4 deficit in game three, a pair of kills from sophomore Tiffany Hunnicutt keyed a well-timed 6-2 Golden Eagle rally that tied the set at 10. John Brown didn't let up, using a pair of kills from Dearien and sophomore Libby Blasingame to build a 14-11 advantage. Three SAGU attack errors continued to fuel the momentum for the Golden Eagles as a Pugh spike gave John Brown a 19-13 lead. Four different JBU attackers (Dearien, Blasingame, Bakke and McIlroy) earned kills down the stretch to complete the 25-18 victory.
The fourth set was not short on drama as it featured runs of 12-2 and 10-2. In addition to three Southwestern A.G. attack errors, two kills from Pugh and McIlroy apiece jetted the Golden Eagles out to a commanding 12-2 lead. Stunned, the Lady Lions tried to hold on for dear life. Consecutive Dearien spikes aided kills from Pugh and Hunnicutt, forcing the score to 17-6. Not dismayed, SAGU rallied back from a 19-10 deficit to bring the score all the back to 22-20. Over the course of 10 Lady Lion points, five attack errors by the visitors kept SAGU's hope alive. A Southwestern A.G. attack error cushioned the Golden Eagle lead to three, 23-20, but it wasn't until junior Becca Young's service ace removed all hope for the hosts did JBU capture the 25-22 win and complete the 3-1 comeback.
"I'm really proud of our defensive effort and the teamwork we displayed today," said head coach Stacie Johnson. "Our hitters really stepped up, which was really needed for us. Although we're still looking for that overall consistency, Audrey and Staci are really leading us on the defensive side of the ball. Molli's play on the block was tremendous for us as this win really signified a total team effort."
Back-to-back Sooner Athletic Conference Hitter of the Week Jessica Sodich finished the game with a match-high 20 kills for Southwestern A.G. while teammate Kassy Cox contributed 18 of her own. Taylor Calverly's match-high 46 assists paced the Lady Lion offense while Emmalee Smith's 17 digs led the SAGU defensive effort.
After finishing its first Texas trip 1-1, John Brown will return to the court on Wednesday (Oct. 2) to welcome Oklahoma City (9-7, 2-2) to Bill George Arena. The match is slated to begin at 6:00 p.m.
