McPHERSON, Kan. -- Junior Taylor Glover delivered a team-best 13 kills and the John Brown University volleyball team finished a 2-0 weekend with its ninth-straight win, a straight-sets (25-21, 25-15, 25-14) victory over Central Christian (Kan.) on Saturday (Oct. 5) afternoon at the Ed Pyle Sports Complex.
Glover finished the match hitting .435, while seniors Jessica Schultz and Kinzee Mayo joined her in double-digit terminations with 10 and 11, respectively.
Six different players posted an assists for the Golden Eagles (15-3, 9-1 Sooner Athletic) as the squad totaled 46 assists on 48 kills (.958), led by sophomore Carrie Ciesla's 18 helpers. Freshman Morgan Fincham added a baker's dozen as the visiting offense churned to the tune of .324 (48-15-102).
"We showed a little travel lag and tiredness from our quick turnaround," head coach Ken Carver mentioned. "We played well enough to win, but lacked the intensity and focus we expect of ourselves when we step onto the court. We were able to play everyone and try out some different lineup variations we had been practicing the past week. The experience our players got will help our team down the road.
"The important thing is we were able to secure another conference win on the road and finish out the first round of Sooner Athletic play at 9-1. Our setters did a good job in feeding Kinzee, Jessica and Taylor throughout the match as they paced our team offensively. I felt our back row did a good job showing patience versus a different tempo of attack that Central Christian runs."
Freshman Jillian Blackman paced the back-line effort with 10 digs. Sophomore Jenna Lowery added eight.
"I've had very few teams in my coaching career play as well as this team has during the first round of conference play," added Carver. "I'm proud of the effort these young ladies give to one another and to our coaching staff day in and out. They have positioned themselves to do something special this season, and these next two weeks will be the most important stretch of the season as they will directly impact our postseason goals."
Up Next
The Golden Eagles will quickly turn around with a pair of mid-week conference matches, first up at Southwestern Christian (Okla.) on Tuesday (Oct. 8). First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
