PT. LOOKOUT, Mo. -- Despite a trio of double-digit kill performances, the John Brown University volleyball team fell at College of the Ozarks (Mo.) in four sets (18-25, 24-26, 29-27, 23-25) on Wednesday evening (Oct. 16) inside Keeter Gymnasium.
Senior Savanna Riney led John Brown (10-12, 9-5 Sooner Athletic) with 14 kills on 49 attempts, hitting .163. Junior Emma-Kate Schaefer added 12 terminations on 32 swings (.313) and five block assists, while senior Erin Mullins contributed 11 kills and 8 blocks. The trio combined to hit .250 on the evening, but the rest of the JBU attack effort struggled, leaving the visitors to a .120 hitting efficiency (51-28-192).
Junior setter Emma DeSanti conducted the offense by dishing out a career-high 33 assists and completed the double-double via 13 scoops in the back row. Senior Julie Milligan was a defensive anchor with 22 digs and completed a perfect 35-for-35 effort in serve-receive. Senior Grace Barfknecht also added 16 digs in the back row.
After a contentious opening to the first set that saw the teams tied four times, the Bobcats jumped out to a four-point lead, 11-7, forcing a John Brown timeout. The deficit grew to six by the next timeout, 18-12, and hovered around seven points for the reminder of the first.
The second period featured an incredible 11 ties, including at 17 and 23. Schaefer and Mullins combined on a block to stave off set point and forced another tie before a College of the Ozarks terminations followed by a hitting error allowed the hosts to escape with a 2-0 advantage.
In the third, John Brown pieced together its best offensive showing of the night, hitting at a .203 clip (18-6-59), but still had to battle through 12 deadlocks and five lead changes to cut into the Bobcat lead. Schaefer and Riney each delivered five terminations in the set, which the Golden Eagles led 23-21 shortly after back-to-back Milligan aces. Kills from Mullins and junior Ella Yarborough in the lead until Riney's fifth kill of the set finally ended the back-and-forth affair that quickly approached 30.
The Golden Eagles largely controlled the fourth and final set, holding the lead after taking a 3-2 advantage early. However, up 19-17, the Bobcats' Bri Linehan for four terminations at a pivotal moment, vaulting the hosts into a 22-19 lead. A pair of JBU timeouts wasn't able to reverse the momentum, as the hosts finished the match on a timely 8-4 run.
Brooklyn Crawford led College of the Ozarks with 18 kills (.400) and six blocks, while Linehan added 15 kills. The Bobcats' defense was shouldered by the nation's second-leading digger–Mica Chadwell– and her season-best 45 digs and 19-for-20 (.950) effort in the serve-receive.
John Brown returns to Siloam Springs to host a pair of key matchups on the weekend, starting with league-leading Nelson (Texas) on Friday night (Oct. 18) at 7 p.m. inside Bill George Arena. The Golden Eagles will then return the following day for a matinee date with Texas Wesleyan, with a first serve scheduled for 1 p.m. Both contest will be featured 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.
