SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- In their final appearances at Bill George Arena, senior Savanna Riney paced all players with 15 kills and senior Taylor Golmen produced 13 terminations and four block-assists to lead the Golden Eagles to a four-set victory (25-21, 25-19, 12-25, 26-24) over Wayland Baptist on Tuesday evening (Nov. 12) in the quarterfinal round of the Sooner Athletic Conference tournament.
Riney spearheaded a balanced offensive attack for the hosts (17-14), finishing with 15 kills on 40 swings (.225) and surpassing Audrey Dearien '16 for third-most career terminations in program history. Golmen added 13 kills, her second-highest total this season, while senior Erin Mullins rounded out the front-line attack with nine kills on a .500 attack efficiency. Golmen hit .312 from the middle and officially moved into second place all-time in career attacking efficiency.
In the back row, senior Julie Milligan tallied 19 digs and eclipsed the 1,700-career dig mark, climbing to fifth on JBU's all-time leaderboard. Junior Emma DeSanti kept the offense flowing with 24 assists, marking the tenth time this season she has surpassed the 20-helper mark and bringing her season total to over 500.
Besides the third set where the Pioneers (15-12) ran away with the win, the Golden Eagles offense produced well, hitting .217 (57-22-161) on the evening, while pulling out to a quick 2-0 lead largely by holding the visitors under .100 for the first two sets. The Pioneers did pull back up to .200 (52-20-160) by the end of the match, but John Brown closed strong in the fourth to end the match.
"Tonight's match showcased the parity among the top eight conference teams, with exciting action from start to finish," said head coach Ken Carver. "We began the match strong, executing our game plan effectively and putting pressure on Wayland with our aggressive serving. However, after a strong start, we lost momentum and struggled to adapt to Wayland's adjustments.
"Despite facing adversity, our team displayed resilience and determination. We rallied in the final set, with Ella leading the charge and securing the crucial victory. I am proud of our team's effort and composure under pressure."
In the first set, Riney led all players with six terminations, and despite the set tied at five early on, the hosts used a 7-3 rally midway through the set to pull ahead, 20-13. WBU would get back to within three, 23-20, but kills from Golmen and Riney clinched the 1-0 advantage.
For the second time in two sets, John Brown hit over .200 in the set, and this time rode junior Emma-Kate Schaefer's five terminations to a 2-0 advantage. Up 20-15 late, JBU won the race to the finish, securing five of the last nine points to double its lead.
Wayland Baptist answered with authority in the third set, breaking away from a 9-9 tie with a commanding 16-3 run and hitting .286. JBU struggled to regain momentum, dropping the set 25-12 as the Pioneers pushed to extend the match.
The fourth set proved to be the night's most intense, as both teams traded points with 11 ties and a pair of lead changes. This time, the Golden Eagles relied on five terminations from junior Ella Yarborough, especially facing a 22-20 hole with a fifth set looming.
Thanks to three Yarborough terminations, JBU rallied to give JBU the lead at match point, 24-23. The Pioneers tied it briefly, but a kill from Riney and a Wayland attacking error ended the Pioneers' hopes of pulling off the reverse-sweep.
Wayland Baptist's offensive effort was led by Selma Sutaj with 12 kills, while Fade Ogunbade added 12 kills and two blocks and Ilgin Ada Cacaron contributed 10 in the loss. Setter Valentina Bozzato directed the offense with 28 assists and produced 12 digs.
With this win, John Brown advances to the SAC tournament semifinals for the seventh time in 11 seasons during the Carver era, and will take on the tournament's second seed and final four host, Texas Wesleyan. The semifinal round is set for Friday afternoon (Nov. 15) inside the Sid Richardson Center with the Golden Eagles facing off with the Rams at 6 p.m. Both semifinals and the tournament championship match will be available live via the SAC Sports Network.
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