SILOAM SPRINGS -- After splitting the opening week of Sooner Athletic play on the road, the Golden Eagles returned to the friendly confines of Bill George Arena for the first time this season and promptly swept past Southwestern Christian (Okla.), 25-16, 25-19, 25-19, on Tuesday (Sept. 7) evening.
The Golden Eagles (5-6, 2-1 Sooner Athletic) launched 13 aces from the service line, led by a career-best six from sophomore Savanna Riney. The contest marked the fourth time this season JBU has notched double-digit aces in a single match. Junior Lauren Cloud added four aces, and three other players added one apiece.
As JBU improved to 9-1 all-time inside Bill George Arena against the Eagles (3-5, 0-3), freshman Callie Mullins led the offense with 12 kills, hitting at a .375 clip and collecting a pair of block-assists. Riney added nine kills to her six-ace outing and finished 12-of-12 in the back row on the serve-receive. Freshman Taylor Golmen also enjoyed a strong first outing in Siloam Springs – launching seven kills from the middle on a perfect hitting night at a .412 (7-0-17) mark.
"Tonight's win against Southwestern Christian was a great start to a week that is going to be full of matches for our team," head coach Ken Carver admitted. "What makes it even better was that it came at home in front a really good crowd tonight, plus was another important conference win. Our aggressive serving definitely helped to keep their offense out of system for most of the night and we did a good job of getting their non-system play back into the rhythm and tempo we want to play at. I'm proud of our team's performance tonight as we were able to execute in all facets of the game to earn the win."
The Golden Eagles struck first, riding a 12-2 mid-set rally to a 1-0 lead. Riney's five kills led the way in the first game, adding a trio of aces to cap off the massive rally that broke open an 11-10 set.
The second set saw the hosts finish strong, netting a 5-0 run after Southwestern Christian pulled within one, 20-19. A Mullins termination – her third of the set – started the run that also included consecutive Cloud aces and a kill from sophomore Delaney Barnes to end the game.
With four lead changes and nine ties, the third set featured back-and-forth play that featured another strong John Brown finish. With the set tied at 18 apiece, a pair of kills from Golmen and Mullins powered a 7-1 run that ended the contest.
In total, John Brown hit .246 (49-17-130) as a team, while holding the Eagles to just .153 (27-9-118). The Golden Eagles held the advantage in kills (49-27), aces (13-2), assists (45-22) and digs (66-53).
Junior Jillian Blackman finished with a match-best 19 scoops while Fincham added her second double-double of the season with 18 assists and 11 digs. Cloud passed out 22 assists, the seventh time she's reached the 20-helper mark this season. She included nine digs in the defensive effort.
Faith DeSouza notched nine kills and 11 assists for Southwestern Christian, which has lost three straight. Abagail Heimerman threw up a solo block and six block-assists in the loss.
John Brown returns to action on Wednesday (Sept. 8) evening at 7 p.m., taking on No. 19 Oklahoma City inside Bill George Arena. The contest will broadcast live on the SAC Sports Network.
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