LANGSTON, Okla. -- In a battle of attrition, the John Brown University volleyball team pieced together its third sweep of the season in a 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 27-25) shutout of Langston (Okla.) on Monday (March 15) night inside the C.F. Gayles Fieldhouse.
With the victory, the Golden Eagles (6-2, 5-2 Sooner Athletic) move to 6-0 all-time against the Lions (1-6, 1-6) which has now lost two of its last three matches.
John Brown registered a .123 attacking clip (40-24-130), but held Langston to a .150 (33-16-113) mark as neither offense found rhythm in the contest. The JBU attacking mark was its lowest average in a win this season.
Leading the charge for John Brown was freshman Savanna Riney – who hit an efficient .238 on the night – with nine kills on 21 swings. After adjusting the first few matches, Riney has now caught fire – averaging 12 terminations per match over her last four outings, averaging 3.4 kills per set.
Sophomore Ellie Lampton contributed nine kills but also posted seven digs and a pair of service aces in the win.
The defense did well to keep the Lions at bay, to the tune of 6.0 team blocks which were paced by a pair of solo rejections apiece from freshman Delaney Barnes and sophomore Sarah Laaker. Sophomore Jillian Blackman hit 20 digs again for the eighth-straight outing with 22 scoops. The Golden Eagles also kept Langston setter Jaden Kindsvater at bay – limiting the offensive passer to just a lone kill on 10 attempts.
A 10-2 mid-set run in the first frame gave the Golden Eagles a 13-7 lead that would hold, barely, for the remainder of the game. In the second, a trio of Jaden Williams terminations helped JBU close out a 20-18 lead by capturing five of the final eight points. In the third, 12 ties ensued as Langston battled to prolong the contest, but five Riney spikes ended the contest in three.
Langston did itself no favors, producing 14 of John Brown's 27 points in the third set via errors, and finished the night having handed the visitors 36 points – 47 percent of the Golden Eagles' point production on the night.
Antonese Tatum was the match's lone double-digit kill producer, adding 12 kills to six solo blocks and two more block-assists. She accounted for nearly one-third of the Lions' total point scoring.
John Brown will finish off a grueling stretch with its fourth match in five days on Tuesday (March 16) evening, when the Golden Eagles host Williams Baptist (Ark.) in a non-conference bout inside Bill George Arena. The tilt will air on the SAC Sports Network.
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