SILOAM SPRINGS -- Senior Savanna Riney led all players with 11 kills, but John Brown University volleyball team fell in straight sets to No. 19 Texas Wesleyan (20-25, 23-25, 20-25) on Friday (Sept. 15) evening inside Bill George Arena.
The Rams (10-3, 5-0 Sooner Athletic) didn't feature a single attacker in double-digit termination territory, but used a strong serving effort and early leads in rallies to fend off the late Golden Eagle (10-6, 3-2) rallies. Texas Wesleyan have now won six straight against JBU in the all-time series.
Riney, the Sooner Athletic's leading hitter, recorded 11 kills on 33 swings to finish .212. Junior Taylor Golmen was efficient at .350 and eight terminations, while junior Lilly Ruston contributed a season-high seven kills on 25 attempts (.200).
On the night, the Rams out-hit John Brown, limiting the hosts to .163 (39-18-129), as the visitors barely peaked over .200 (43-16-130). TXWES also held advantage in blocking, 5-2, and took advantage of seven John Brown errors from the service line. While the Rams also committed seven errors, Wesleyan served up seven aces, while limiting JBU to just one, a season-low mark.
Junior Emma DeSanti chipped in with a pair of kills from the right side in the third set to accompany 18 assists and six digs, while freshman Sara Welch added 12 helpers.
In the back row, junior Julie Milligan produced 23 digs. Freshman Mia Baedke added 10 scoops in the loss.
The visitors were paced on offense by Hanna Rubis' nine kills and three block-assists on defense. Makenna Gantt (19 assists) and Ruby O'Brien (17 assists) nearly split the setting duties equally, while Andrea Malek patrolled the back row to the tune of 26 digs – a match-best mark.
In the midst of a four-match homestand, John Brown returns to the court on Saturday (Sept. 16) afternoon when the Golden Eagles welcome No. 23 Southwestern A.G. (Texas) to Bill George Arena for a 1 p.m. contest. The matchup will be carried live on the SAC Sports Network.
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