SILOAM SPRINGS -- The Golden Eagles fought back from a 2-0 deficit to force a fifth set, but Mid-America Christian (Okla.) outlasted the John Brown University volleyball team in a five-set thriller (22-25, 15-25, 25-20, 25-20, 7-15) on Friday (Nov. 3) evening inside Bill George Arena.
After seven ties and two lead changes in the must-win third set, John Brown never trailed in the fourth set. Unfortunately, MACU jumped ahead 5-0 early in the fifth and never looked back as the Evangels captured the third seed over JBU in next week's Sooner Athletic tournament with the win.
The Golden Eagles (21-10, 14-6 Sooner Athletic) will be relegated to the four seed, and will host the fifth seed – still to be determined – on Tuesday evening inside Bill George Arena. The match will be carried live on the SAC Sports Network.
"While the end result of the match wasn't what we had hoped for, I'm extremely proud of our team for the grittiness and perseverance they showed in coming back," admitted head coach Ken Carver. "As good as our first ball contact was last night against USAO, we struggled against the top serving team in the conference to find the passing and offensive rhythm we typically aim for.
"Our setters had to work extra hard to get balls up into a hittable window and then our attackers were then forced to attack against a well-formed block and set defense. While we didn't get the win this evening, our team has worked hard this entire season and has earned a well-deserved opportunity to host a quarterfinal round match in the postseason."
Six different Evangels recorded multiple service aces as the hosts racked up 15 as the Golden Eagles struggled to keep up in serve-receive. The Golden Eagles held advantages in nearly every other stat category.
Sophomore Emma-Kate Schaefer terminated nine times (9-1-18), while junior Erin Mullins also added nine kills (9-3-27). While the offense struggled early, the hosts eventually would go on to out-hit MACU with a .174 (45-16-167) efficiency, with John Brown hitting its stride in the third at a .273 clip.
Freshman Sara Welch passed out 19 assists, while junior Emma DeSanti added 11 helpers and nine digs.
On defense, Mullins dominated the front row, piling up eight block-assists. In the back, junior Julie Milligan finished the evening with 26 digs, while senior Brittney Ware added 10 scoops.
Sawyer Franz ripped a game-high 24 kills (24-11-58) on nearly 60 swings. Ludmilla Souza assisted on 31 of the Evangels' 64 terminations. The visitors used a .474 mark in the fifth set to finish at .170 (64-31-194).
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