McPHERSON, Kan. -- A balanced offense led by efficiency from the middles and 10 team blocks on defense powered the John Brown University volleyball team to a sweep (25-19, 25-16, 26-16) of Central Christian (Kan.) on Saturday (Oct. 28) afternoon inside Jerry E. Alexander Arena.
While sophomore Emma-Kate Schaefer led the John Brown (20-9, 13-5 Sooner Athletic) attack with eight kills on 15 swings (.467), juniors Erin Mullins and Taylor Golmen combined for 11 terminations, without an error, on 22 swings (.500) as the visitors ran away with its 11th straight-sets win of the year.
Golmen and Mullins also provided the bulk of the front-row defensive effort, posting four blocks apiece, while Schaeffer added a trio of block-assists. Junior Julie Milligan provided 10 digs in the back row as the Central Christian offense was limited to a mere .010 efficiency (26-25-105) – the Golden Eagles' best defensive effort of the season.
The first set featured nine ties until the teams were knotted at 15 apiece, then John Brown grabbed control. The visitors closed out the first set on a 10-4 run that was capped off by a Schaeffer block-assist and termination, respectively, as five Tiger errors fueled the run.
The second set saw two wild swings early, as the hosts jumped ahead 10-4 after an 8-0 rally, only to see the Golden Eagles respond with a 10-0 run to pull ahead, 14-10. JBU scored six of the next eight points to wrestle control, 20-12, as a pair of Mullins terminations ignited the last bit of offense needed to jump ahead 2-0 on the match.
Consecutive aces from Milligan bolstered John Brown to an early 5-0 lead in the third as the visitors never looked back. Only allowing CCCK to get within two, 11-9, two errors and a third Milligan service ace returned the momentum back to John Brown. A pair of kills from senior Micah Fouts and freshman Sarah Graham were pivotal in a 6-0 run that opened up a 16-13 lead into a 22-13 advantage. Two more Central Christian errors from the service line coupled with a Graham-Roweton rejection ended the match.
Amanda Dotter smacked a match-high 12 kills for the Tigers, which lost its third-consecutive match. She finished the double-double with a team-leading 11 scoops.
John Brown finished the match hitting at a .255 clip (34-9-98), paced by 15 assists from senior Morgan Fincham and another 10 from junior Emma DeSanti. It was the fourth time John Brown had fewer than 10 attacking errors in a match this season.
The Golden Eagles close out the regular season with a pair of home matches inside Bill George Arena, beginning with a 7 p.m. contest with Science & Arts (Okla.) on Thursday (Nov. 2) evening. JBU will then clash in a pivotal match with Mid-America Christian (Okla.) on Friday night. Both matches will air live on the SAC Sports Network.
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