SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- Senior Savanna Riney smacked a match-high 11 terminations, and the Golden Eagle defense held the visitors to a .009 attack percentage as the John Brown University volleyball team opened Sooner Athletic play with a commanding 3-0 sweep (25-12, 25-14, 25-18) over Southwestern Christian (Okla.) on Friday night (Sept. 6) at Bill George Arena.
Riney led John Brown with a match-high 11 kills, hitting an impressive .357 on 28 attempts. Junior Ella Yarborough followed closely with eight kills, posting a flawless .500 hitting percentage. Senior Erin Mullins, who added nine terminations, also contributed significantly on the defensive end, tallying three blocks as the Golden Eagles (2-7, 1-0 Sooner Athletic) dominated at the net.
Junior Emma DeSanti dished out a key 19 assists and efficiently placed her hitters in optimal attacking positions, while freshman Kailana Chamnonchith added 15 helpers and eight digs. On the defensive side, Julie Milligan led with 14 digs, while libero Grace Barfknecht contributed 12 digs to neutralize the visiting Eagles' attack.
"What an amazing home opener with incredible fan energy," head coach Ken Carver noted. "The atmosphere helped us play our best volleyball yet. We've shown glimpses of our potential, but tonight's sweep was our first consistently strong performance. Aggressive serving kept SCU off-balance, limiting their scoring opportunities. Our passing was on point, allowing diverse offense, and our hitters capitalized while our middles set up our outsides for success. We showed grit coming back in the third set, closing with a 10-1 run.
"We've focused on reducing errors while staying aggressive. Tonight, we balanced that perfectly, demonstrating growth and maturity. I'm proud of the hard work and positive attitudes. It's great to start conference play with a well-deserved win at home."
The first set saw John Brown University come out firing on all cylinders, finishing with an impressive .474 hitting percentage. Key offensive contributions came from senior outside hitter Savanna Riney, who led the attack with four kills on six attempts. Middle blocker Erin Mullins added three kills without a single error. The Golden Eagles established an early lead, forcing Southwestern Christian into several errors that hampered the offensive rhythm. Southwestern Christian struggled to find their footing, committing five attack errors and hitting just .086 as JBU cruised to a 25-12 victory.
In the second set, the momentum stayed firmly with the Golden Eagles, although Southwestern Christian showed brief moments of resistance. DeSanti passed around eight assists in the set. Riney and Yarborough continued to exploit the Eagles' defense, combining for seven kills. Despite five hitting errors, JBU managed to post 17 kills on 51 total attempts (.235), outpacing Southwestern Christian's seven kills and .026 hitting percentage. John Brown extended an early 9-2 advantage with aggressive serving, including an ace from Julie Milligan, ultimately taking the set 25-14.
Southwestern Christian put up their strongest fight in the third set, narrowing the scoreline and briefly taking a 14-12 lead. However, a series of errors and strong net play from the Golden Eagles shifted the momentum. Senior Taylor Golmen and Mullins combined for three critical blocks that stifled the Southwestern Christian comeback bid. Down 17-15, John Brown closed out the set and the match with a 25-18 win, riding the efficient attacking from Riney and Yarborough in a match-closing 10-1 rally.
As a team, John Brown recorded a .282 attacking mark (47-12-124) while Southwestern Christian struggled offensively, finishing the match with a pedestrian .009 hitting percentage and committing 20 attack errors.
The Golden Eagles will continue its short two-match homestand when JBU welcomes Oklahoma City to Bill George Arena tomorrow afternoon (Sept. 7) live on the SAC Sports Network. First serve is scheduled for 1 p.m.
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