WAXAHACHIE, Texas -- On the verge of closing out the second set and tying the match at one apiece, a late lead fell apart, capped off by a controversial call, as Southwestern A.G. (Texas) knocked off the John Brown University volleyball team in straight sets to take command of the Sooner Athletic standings on Friday night (Sept. 29) inside the Sheaffer Center.
Armed with a 22-18 lead late in the second, the Golden Eagles (16-4, 5-1 Sooner Athletic) allowed SAGU to crawl back into the match with four straight points to tie the score. A huge block from the tandem of sophomore Lindsey Davis and junior Bayli Reagan gave JBU the lead, but the Lions (15-4, 6-0) knotted the match again on the next play.
Twice more John Brown took the lead only to see the hosts tie it up, until the officials took away what appeared to be another dominant kill by sophomore Jessica Meyer in the middle to force a 26-25 lead for the visitors. The up judge reversed the point, citing a lift on the attack, shifting the momentum and the crowd back to the Lions. SAGU closed out the set on the next rally and ran away with the third set to finish the sweep, 25-21, 27-25, 25-16.
"Tonight wasn't our best effort by far," head coach Ken Carver admitted. "Give SAGU credit in that they came out and executed consistently in front of a very rowdy gym. We came out more focused in the second set, but we just weren't able to protect the lead. In the third, we were our own worst enemy.
"Having as many unforced errors as we did in the third will cost any team, but especially against a team as good as SAGU. We'll have to regroup quickly as we face an equally-talented team in Texas Wesleyan tomorrow."
JBU battled itself unlike any other time before this season in the third, hitting .000 (12-12-49), and finishing the match with a .125 percentage (40-23-136). Neither team hit particularly well, but the Lions managed a .198 clip (40-15-126), led by the re-emergence of Jessica Sodich, who paced the Lion offense to the tune of 12 kills.
Kali Shaw added nine terminations and 16 digs while Sophia Ivy passed out 34 assists in the win.
Reagan notched her fifth double-double of the season, and Meyer added nine kills while sophomore Carly McKinney added seven to accompany 12 digs. Senior Alyssa Arnold dished out 32 digs and scooped 14, as did senior Beth Brankle on the back line.
JBU will take on Texas Wesleyan, sporting just one loss on the season (to SAGU), on Saturday (Sept. 30) in Ft. Worth. First serve is slated for 1 p.m.
