DES MOINES, Iowa -- The John Brown University volleyball team came back from a 2-1 deficit to improve to 4-0 on the season in five-set matches against St. Ambrose (Iowa) before falling in four to No. 15 Bellevue (Iowa) on Friday (Oct. 11) inside the Charles S. Johnson Wellness Center.
Junior Taylor Glover threw down a match-best 20 terminations on 45 swings (.400) and freshman Morgan Fincham passed out a career-high 26 assists as the Golden Eagles (17-4) came back to secure its fourth five-set victory of the season (25-21, 20-25, 23-25, 25-19, 15-10) in the early afternoon match against the Bees.
JBU received three service aces from freshman Jillian Blackman to lead an eight-ace effort on the afternoon, as she also 16 digs on the match.
Senior Carly McKinney posted her fifth double-double of the season, launching 10 kills to accompany a match-high 21 scoops.
Adding another 10 terminations was senior Jessica Schultz, as the Golden Eagles compiled a .295 attack effort (65-16-166), fueled by 30 assists from sophomore Carrie Ciesla.
St. Ambrose closed out the second set on an 8-3 run to tie the score at one. Holding a late 23-21 lead in the third, the Golden Eagles again missed a chance as the Bees finished the set on a 4-0 run to take the lead, 2-1. John Brown responded by taking set four to stay alive, knotting the match at two apiece.
Terminations from Glover and freshman Sarah Laaker powered JBU to a quick 5-0 lead in the fifth set, as the Golden Eagles continued on to hit .360 (10-1-25) on the frame. Glover put down four of her 20 kills in the set and after St. Ambrose closed within two, 10-8, kills from Glover and Schultz down the stretch propelled John Brown to the comeback victory.
In the nightcap, John Brown faced its second ranked opponent of the season and took a 3-1 (17-25, 25-23, 24-26, 19-25) setback to the Bruins as JBU fell to 0-2 on the season against top-25 competition.
Glover again led the Golden Eagle offense with 14 kills on 37 swings (.243). McKinney contributed nine terminations and a match-high 22 digs.
JBU was held to a .155 (55-29-168) effort on the evening, but Ciesla and Fincham still contributed 22 and 20 assists, respectively, in the loss.
Tied at 24 in the third set, the Golden Eagles had already erased a seven-point deficit earlier in the set. It wasn't enough, however, as a Bellevue kill followed by a JBU attack error shifted the match lead back to the Bruins, 2-1.
In the fourth, John Brown faltered offensively at a .083 clip, a match-low, but even though Bellevue commanded an 18-8 lead late, the Golden Eagles fought back to pull within five, 19-14. Five would be as close as JBU could get, however, as the Bruins finalized the contest with two John Brown miscues.
Up Next
John Brown will continue to day two of the Grand View Tournament with a pair of matches. First, JBU will take on Huntington (Ind.) at 9 a.m. before facing William Penn (Iowa) at 2 p.m.
