OKLHOMA CITY, Okla. -- For stretches, the John Brown University volleyball offense came to life, but it wasn't enough against conference favorites Oklahoma City as the host Stars sent JBU to a 3-1 setback (21-25, 25-27, 25-15, 19-25) on Thursday (Aug. 30) night inside Abe Lemons Arena.
In the two middle sets, where John Brown (1-5, 1-1 Sooner Athletic) pushed the hosts to a 25-27 and 25-15 score, the Golden Eagles hit .373 (30-5-65) and narrowly took a 2-1 lead, but the first and fourth sets saw the Stars (2-0, 1-0) churn out enough offense to take a win its season opener. City landed a forfeit win against Bacone (Okla.) in what was scheduled as its home opener earlier this week.
Sophomore Taylor Glover launched a team-best 13 kills and added nine digs, hitting .212 on the evening. Senior Bayli Reagan added 10 kills, six scoops and a pair of JBU's eight aces while junior Megan Beck led the visitors by hitting .350, finishing six kills in the loss.
Freshman Jenna Lowery scooped a team-best 15 digs while junior Elizabeth Williams and freshman Carrie Ciesla split the setting duties to the tune of 21 and 20 assists, respectively.
Leading 23-22 in the second set, looking to even the match score, after a Kinzee Mayo termination, City rallied on a 4-2 set-ending run to take a commanding 2-0 lead into the third set.
In the third, Beck's offensive play helped the Golden Eagles run up a 10-3 lead. Oklahoma City would pull within four, 13-9, but a surge of Stars errors continued the John Brown momentum back into an 18-10 lead. Kills from junior Jessica Meyer and Glover capped off the 25-15 response from the visitors.
Mayo's kill in the fourth kept John Brown in contention at 14-13, but a 6-1 response from OCU kept the visitors from closer than a four-point deficit for the remainder of the match.
Marijana Bjelobrk paced all players with 18 kills, but hit just .154, and added nine digs. Lacy Beeler finished with a double-double, 15 kills and 12 digs, while Ella Loften contributed 13 kills as the trio combined for 80 percent of the City offense.
Taylor Horton passed out 46 assists on 58 City kills, including a game-high 16 scoops in the win.
The Golden Eagles return to action on Friday (Sept. 7) at Mid-America Christian (Okla.), continuing its season-opening eight-match road swing. First serve is slated for 7 p.m.
