BETHANY, Okla. -- Led by sophomore Taylor Golmen, the John Brown University volleyball team racked up a season-high 13 aces and ran away in sweeping fashion (25-12, 25-18, 25-19) over Southwestern Christian (Okla.) on Thursday evening (Sept. 1) inside Pickens-Springer Gymnasium.
While the John Brown (4-2, 1-1 Sooner Athletic) hitting wasn't spectacular, the blocking effort aided the outstanding service numbers to post the Golden Eagles' first sweep of the 2022 season.
Junior Savanna Riney led all Golden Eagles in kills (8) and digs (15), while Golmen's five aces bolstered the JBU service effort that featured three more from seniors Morgan Fincham and Jillian Blackman.
Junior Micah Fouts paced the front-row defensive effort, posting a solo rejection and five block-assists. Senior Ellie Lampton added a trio of block-assists, while Riney and Golmen each contributed a pair, which resulted in the host Eagles (4-3, 0-2) finishing the evening with a mere .076 hitting mark (28-19-118).
The Golden Eagle attack fared a bit better, finishing the match at .152 (33-16-112), with was led by Riney's eight kills. Freshman Ella Yarborough notched a career-best six kills, hitting .545 on the evening. Lampton, Golmen and junior Delaney Barnes each added four terminations in John Brown's first league victory of the campaign.
In the back row, senior Jillian Blackman provided 15 digs, while senior Lauren cloud distributed 17 assists and senior Morgan Fincham added 11.
Makenna Thomas' 11 kills (.143) led all hitters, but no other Eagle could provide more than six terminations. Treasure Mozon was busy in the back row with 25 digs.
The Golden Eagles, with the win, moved to 17-2 all-time against Southwestern Christian, including an 8-1 mark inside Pickens-Springer Gymnasium.
John Brown will return to action on Tuesday (Sept. 6) when the Golden Eagles make their Siloam Springs debut inside Bill George Arena. JBU will welcome Langston (Okla.) in a 7 p.m. matchup, which 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.
