SILOAM SPRINGS -- A balanced but efficient offensive effort paced the Golden Eagles as the John Brown University volleyball team won its seventh-straight match after taking care of Oklahoma City in four sets (25-19, 25-19, 16-25, 25-18) on Tuesday (Oct. 10) night inside Bill George Arena, evening the season series with the Stars.
With the win, John Brown (17-7, 10-3 Sooner Athletic) remained a game ahead of Mid-America Chrisitan (Okla.) and widened its lead to two over the Stars (9-9, 8-5) for third place in the Sooner Athletic standings with seven matches remaining in the regular season.
"Coming off Homecoming weekend and only having one day to prepare for OCU was a challenge, but one that our players rose to meet the occasion," head coach Ken Carver admitted. "Tonight's win against City was important as the result of this match most likely will have direct impact on the seeding for the conference tournament.
"Despite dropping a set in the match, I feel as if our team is starting to find another level of confidence and play. We got out to good starts in both the first and second sets, and the same happened in the fourth, but OCU – utilizing some momentum they gained in winning the third set – was able to close the gap. However, our players showed great poise and didn't allow OCU to score the remainder of the match, finishing a great win against a perennial SAC title contender and multiple-time conference champion."
For the fourth time in the last five matches, the Golden Eagle offense produced at least 50 kills, and finished the night at a .214 efficiency (51-18-154). Senior Delaney Barnes turned in a season-high 11 terminations on 27 swings (.333), while junior Taylor Golmen added 10 kills, three digs and a pair of blocks. Senior Savanna Riney nearly did it all, contributing nine kills, two assists, and a pair of solo blocks.
Sophomore Maddie Nolan (8-2-21) and junior Erin Mullins (6-1-18) posted efficient nights, both finishing over .250, while sophomore Emma-Kate Schaefer hit .400 with six kills. Mullins also led all player with four blocks.
In the back row, junior Julie Milligan eclipsed 25 digs for the fourth time in her last five outings, while Senior Morgan Fincham led the trio of JBU setters with her second double-double performance in the last three matches, notching 17 helpers and 10 scoops.
The match featured 16 ties and six lead changes, but both teams managed to establish early leads and finish the sets won. Tied at nine in the first set, John Brown used a 10-4 run to open a 19-13 lead, while the second set featured four attackers recording a kill and consecutive blocks as the hosts turned a 6-5 deficit into an 11-6 lead that later ballooned to 20-12.
With Carver digging deeper into the bench for the third set, City crossed .200 for the first time on the night, hitting .275 (13-2-40) and took advantage of a 10-4 early lead.
Although the Golden Eagles enjoyed an early four-point lead in the fourth, the Stars used a quick 6-3 run to tie the fourth at 18 apiece. A kill and solo block from Riney jump-started a match-clinching 7-0 run to close out the evening.
Ruby Kelley and Rylee Steward each smacked 12 kills in the loss for the Stars. Natalie Adams passed out 26 assists, while Kaitlyn Dunlap paced three defenders in double-digit digs with 20 scoops.
John Brown closes out its four-match homestand tomorrow (Oct. 11) evening when the Golden Eagles play host to Southwestern Christian (Okla.) inside Bill Geoge Arena, looking for a season sweep. With all the action airing live on the SAC Sports Network, first serve is slated for 7 p.m.
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