MUSKOGEE, Okla. -- Having been forced to change to a 5-1 offense, senior Alyssa Arnold passed out 33 assists and sophomore Carly McKinney racked up nine kills as the John Brown University volleyball team (7-0) kept its perfect season going and opened up Sooner Athletic play with a 3-0 (25-13, 25-15, 25-12) sweep at Bacone (Okla.) on Thursday (Sept. 7) night inside the Palmer Gymnasium.
Arnold's 33 helpers proved to finish as a season high, which fueled a well-balanced Golden Eagles (7-0, 1-0 Sooner Athletic) attack that featured nearly double-digit kills from McKinney, who also posted nine digs and a pair of blocks, eight terminations from sophomore Jessica Meyer, seven kills from junior Bayli Reagan and six spikes from sophomore Lindsey Davis.
"Our team showed a lot of poise and patience as we started the match and worked quickly into rhythm with some different player personnel and line-ups on the court," noted head coach Ken Carver. "I think one of the strengths we've shown early on this season is an improved mental toughness and ability to re-focus and move forward when obstacles and challenges are presented.
"We knew coming into this match against Bacone that, while they are an improved team, they are still capable of making a lot of unforced errors and they rely on their opponents committing a number of errors to stay in a match. With our new lineup this evening, one of our main goals was not to force things or be overly aggressive and give Bacone too many free points off our mistakes."
The Golden Eagles did just that, using pesky blocking and 22 digs from senior Beth Brankle to limit the Warriors (5-5, 0-1) to a lowly .020 hitting percentage, including a -0.67 clip in the second frame.
Ten service aces, including a trio from freshman Taylor Glover, helped bolster long runs throughout the contest, including a 7-0 rally in the third stanza.
After its first SAC match of the season, JBU turns around tomorrow (Sept. 8) to face Peru State (Neb.) and the St. Louis College of Pharmacy during day one of the Evangel (Mo.) Invitational in Springfield.
