SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- Earning its 17th consecutive victory at home, the John Brown University volleyball team created a little bit of breathing room on Thursday (Oct. 4) night, as the Golden Eagles took advantage of 13 team blocks to take a five-set win (25-27, 25-15, 26-24, 20-25, 25-8) over Southwestern Christian (Okla.) inside Bill George Arena.
Entering the contest trailing the Golden Eagles (9-7, 8-3 Sooner Athletic) by just one game, Southwestern Christian (12-5, 6-5) were bolstered by a match-high 21 terminations from Cashlyn Munroe, but were unable to eclipse .100 attacking efficiency in any set, finishing the contest .053 (49-39-188), including a negative percentage in the fifth and pivotal set.
JBU made errors of its own, however, extending the match further than it needed to. Thirteen service errors and allowing 11 SCU aces kept the visitors in the match.
"At times it wasn't pretty and we had too many unforced errors, but both teams played with a lot of emotional and physical energy," head coach Ken Carver said, who picked up his 100th win at the helm of the program. "Due to injury, both teams were utilizing line-ups that wasn't the norm. So the match came down to which team's lineup would show the most poise and execute consistently.
"We had a number of uncharacteristic communication breakdowns in our serve-reception tonight and had way too many errors from the service line as well. However, in spite of that, our defensive effort was high, and our block continued to have a big influence on the match."
Four Golden Eagles piled up at least four rejections as juniors Jessica Meyer and Lindsey Davis posted five while Kinzee Mayo and Megan Beck contributed four apiece. At least six players posted a block for the hosts, keeping the Southwestern Christian attack at a low output.
Another balanced effort kept the front row busy for John Brown. Sophomore Taylor Glover had a team-high 13 kills, a season-high, while senior Bayli Reagan added 11. Mayo added nine terminations and Meyer and Beck each contributed seven, respectively.
"One of our main goals was to limit the impact SCU's two top hitters," added Carver. "Our front row players did an above average job in not only securing a good number of blocks, but a lot of touches which allowed us to limit the amount of offensive damage either of those players could have.
"I'm really proud of the offensive output which Bayli, Taylor and Kinzee provided to our team tonight. There were a number of big-time swings at crucial moments during the match which demonstrated those players not only making the smart shot, but doing it in aggressive fashion."
Despite dropping the first set, the hosts responded with its best offensive output of the night, hitting .333 (10-2-24) as six different players provided kills for the Golden Eagles in a quick 25-15 response.
The momentum grew into the third, where neither team held more than a five point lead. A mid-game 8-3 rally gave JBU an 18-17 lead that developed into a 23-21 lead down the stretch. The visiting Eagles clawed back to tie the set at 24, but an attack error and Lindsey Davis' kill handed the Golden Eagles the 2-1 lead in the match.
The fourth was a quick retaliation from SCU as the hosts lead only 1-0 and then trailed for the remainder of the set. In fact, a Liv Block ace to close out the set seemed to give Southwestern Christian the momentum heading into the deciding frame.
With junior Elizabeth Williams serving, JBU avoided the visitors' upset bid by jumping out to a 6-0 lead. SCU pulled within five, 8-3, but a trio of Glover kills and a pair from Meyer allowed John Brown to cruise to the match victory.
Williams finished with a double-double, passing out 26 assists to accompany 13 digs. Freshman Jenna Lowery dug a team-best 21 Southwestern Christian attack attempts while senior Bailey Sager added 13 scoops.
Munroe finished her double-double by adding 16 digs, and Darian Parsons tacked on 12 digs to her match-high 42 assists on 49 Southwestern Christian kills.
In a quick turn around, the Golden Eagles host Oklahoma City in yet another marquee matchup on Friday (Oct. 5) night at 7 p.m.
