SILOAM SPRINGS -- In what could only be described as a battle of attrition, the Golden Eagles were pushed to seven match points in the fifth and deciding set until freshman Madeline Nolan's terminations ended a match that went the distance and more, sending the John Brown University volleyball team to a 3-2 (18-25, 25-12, 24-26, 25-22, 21-19) victory over Wayland Baptist (Texas) on Friday evening (Oct. 21) inside Bill George Arena.
A wild fifth set featured 15 ties and six lead changes – 13 lead swaps in the last three sets – until back-to-back kills from sophomore Taylor Golmen and Nolan ended the match that lasted 2:22.
SEVEN. SIETE. SIEBEN. SEPT.
Seven match points later ... #goJBU comes back to remain perfect inside Bill George Arena!! #goJBU
Posted by John Brown University Athletics on Friday, October 21, 2022
"What a great match to be a part of on a Friday night," head coach Ken Carver admitted after his program continued its unbeaten streak in Siloam Springs to eight this season – 11 dating back to last season. "Both teams competed hard, showed a lot of poise and grit and gave the fans in BGA one heck of a match to watch.
On a night that saw John Brown (18-5, 12-3 Sooner Athletic) record 39 more terminations than the visitors, five Golden Eagles finished with double-digit terminations, led by senior Ellie Lampton's 15 kills on 49 swings (.224). Junior Savanna Riney added 14 terminations, while junior Delaney Barnes and Golmen each contributed 13. Sophomore Callie Mullins rounded out the group with 10.
The Golden Eagles featured four double-digit performances as Riney posted 23 digs to accompany her offensive output, senior Jillian Blackman tied a career high with 10 assists to join her 33 digs in the back row and senior Morgan Fincham produced 27 assists and 10 digs.
Senior Lauren Cloud, the primary driver of the Sooner Athletic-leading offense that finished .198 (84-36-243) on the night, posted 21 digs and 42 assists – both career-best marks, as she passed out 10 more helpers than her previous career high set in the first match of the season.
The back-row defense came up with 131 digs in totality – a number not seen since the exact number of scoops recorded in a four-set loss to Wayland Baptist on Nov. 12, 2010.
After Wayland took the first set by hitting .364 (14-2-33), John Brown retaliated by running away with the second frame, limiting the previously-hot Pioneer offense to a mere -.029 (3-4-35). The hosts appeared poised to claim a 2-1 entering the fourth set, but at set point, 24-22, WBU responded with a 4-0 rally to stun the rowdy Bill George Arena crowd, placing the Golden Eagles suddenly in a must-win fourth set.
Down 21-17 in the fourth and an upset within Wayland's reach, Lampton's kill jump-started a very fast 7-0 John Brown rally that featured three kills from sophomore Lilly Ruston and another pair from Nolan. Riney's termination ended the fourth with all the momentum in JBU's favor.
"Wayland Baptist has greatly improved since we saw them the first time around," added Carver. Tonight was a match where we had to keep grinding away early on when we were struggling to find some consistency. We finally reached a point where we established some momentum to close out the fourth set and take that into the deciding set with some more confidence.
In that final set, we earned 18 of our 21 points from our attack. Our serve reception was perfect in the final frame which helped Lauren and Morgan set a more diverse and in-tempo offense, and our attackers did an excellent job in responding with putting balls down on the floor. I'm proud of the resiliency and persistence."
Chante Moore led the WBU offense with 13 kills and Samantha Ingram passed out 41 helpers on offense. On defense, the Pioneers produced 10 team blocks, powered by Alexa Hinojos' five block-assists. In the back row, Brenna Daniel's 30 scoops led five WBU players in double-digit digs.
With no rest for the weary, apparently, the Golden Eagles turn around to face Oklahoma Panhandle State on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 22) inside Bill George Arena to complete a three-match homestand. The Aggies pushed JBU to five sets in Goodwell earlier in the season, but John Brown will search for its fifth SAC season sweep of the season as the match kicks off at 1 p.m. and will air live on the SAC Sports Network.
FOLLOW THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Don't miss a minute of the latest action surrounding JBU Athletics by following the Golden Eagles on Twitter (@JBUathletics), Instagram (@JBUathletics) and Facebook (/JBUathletics). Catch every Golden Eagle home game and select away games on the SAC Sports Network, available online or for download on your favorite streaming device.
