SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- Freshman Chelsea Day delivered John Brown University's final three points and finished with 10 kills on .474 hitting as the Golden Eagles turned back Texas Wesleyan in four sets (25-20, 18-25, 25-20, 25-21) Friday evening (Oct. 16) inside Bill George Arena, completing JBU's first regular-season sweep of the Rams since 2014.

John Brown (14-9, 10-5 Sooner Athletic) responded to Texas Wesleyan's second-set surge by controlling the third and weathering a series of extended rallies in the fourth.

The Golden Eagles had emphasized quicker starts against the league's top teams entering the match and immediately delivered one, producing their best attacking percentage and side-out rate of the night in the opening frame.

JBU finished with 52 kills and hit .205 (52-21-151), while limiting Texas Wesleyan (12-10, 9-5 SAC) to .140 (46-25-150). The defensive turnaround after the Rams' dominant second set was particularly decisive: after Texas Wesleyan hit .464 in the second, the visitors managed just 18 kills, committing 17 attacking errors over the final two frames, hitting .012 (18-17-83). The Golden Eagles also finished with eight blocks and a narrow 66-65 edge in digs.

The outside-hitter group provided production from several combinations as sophomore Clara Hyke led the hosts with 13 kills on .290 hitting and added three blocks, and sophomore Kate Carlson supplied 11 terminations. Day needed only two sets to reach double figures, committing one error on 19 swings in her .474 performance while sophomore Olivia Tucker added five kills and two blocks.

Senior Akayla Kador anchored the net defense, recording one solo rejection and six block assists to have a hand in seven of John Brown's eight total blocks. She also added four kills. Sophomore Reese Montgomery contributed eight terminations and another block-assist.

Junior Tessa Medina recorded her third double-double of the season with 22 assists and 10 digs while adding an ace. Sophomore Taylor Kosmicki distributed 16 assists and finished one dig shy of a double-double with nine, while sophomore Paige Addington led JBU with 14 digs and three service aces. Senior Mia Bowman collected 12 digs and freshman Emily Whitten added 10, giving the Golden Eagles four back-row players in double-figure scoops.

"Great win for our team tonight. I'm really proud of the hustle, focus and grit we showed throughout the match," head coach Ken Carver said. "One of the things we've been working on is getting off to faster starts, especially against the top teams in our conference, and I thought we did an outstanding job of that tonight. Texas Wesleyan made some adjustments and responded well in the second set, but I really liked the way our energy and belief never changed. We came back hungry in the third and continued to battle through a lot of difficult rallies in the fourth."

Texas Wesleyan was led offensively by Faith McClellan's 14 kills, while Haley Fojtik added 12. Loes Peijnenburg finished with eight total blocks, and setters Lillian Breaux and Kayla Myers handed out 21 and 16 assists, respectively. Libero Neeley Rutledge paced the Rams with 15 digs.

Set 1: The teams traded the first four points before John Brown produced the fast start it had been looking for. Hyke sided out to put JBU ahead 3-2, and Addington took over from the service line as the Golden Eagles scored the next seven points.

Addington opened her turn with an ace, Hyke supplied three more kills during the stretch, Tucker added a termination and Kador combined first with Tucker and then Hyke on consecutive JBU blocks. By the time Texas Wesleyan stopped the run, John Brown had turned a 2-2 tie into a 10-2 advantage.

The Rams gradually reduced the margin and eventually pulled within four at 18-14, but JBU never allowed the visitors to seriously threaten the lead. Carlson helped stabilize the offense with three kills during the latter half of the frame, and Addington's second ace gave the Golden Eagles set point at 24-18. After Texas Wesleyan fought off two opportunities, Kador terminated Medina's set to finish the 25-20 decision.

John Brown hit a match-best .237 (14-5-38) in the opener and posted its best side-out percentage of the evening while holding the Rams to .179.

Set 2: Texas Wesleyan changed the complexion of the match immediately in the second, scoring the first four points. John Brown answered quickly behind a Hyke kill and Whitten ace, eventually erasing an 8-4 deficit when junior Mallory Jury's ace and a Rams attacking error pulled the Golden Eagles even at 9-9.

The visitors regained control from there. Texas Wesleyan moved from the 9-9 tie to a 15-10 advantage, then answered a three-point JBU response by rebuilding the margin to 20-15. The Golden Eagles never drew closer than four the rest of the way as the Rams finished the 25-18 equalizer.

Texas Wesleyan produced easily its best offensive frame of the match, putting away 17 kills with only four errors on 28 attacks for a .464 percentage. John Brown was held to .138 (9-5-29).

Set 3: The Rams carried some of that momentum into the third and opened a 3-0 advantage, but John Brown methodically erased it. Day supplied two early kills, and Carlson and Montgomery helped the Golden Eagles eventually pull within 7-5.

Jury then helped JBU turn the set. Montgomery and Hyke delivered consecutive terminations during a three-point run on her serve, and a Texas Wesleyan attacking error put the Golden Eagles ahead 8-7 for their first lead of the frame. After the Rams tied it once at 8-8, John Brown moved back in front on Carlson's kill and never trailed again.

The Golden Eagles gradually expanded the margin, with three straight Texas Wesleyan attacking errors pushing JBU ahead 15-10. Day, Hyke, Carlson and Tucker all contributed kills as the advantage eventually reached 20-13.

Texas Wesleyan made one late attempt to climb back into the frame, but JBU continually found the sideout it needed. Tucker made it 23-19, Day followed with a kill for set point and a Rams attacking error completed the 25-20 win.

The Golden Eagles hit .231 in the third while holding Texas Wesleyan to .056.

Set 4: John Brown again established the early momentum in the fourth. Kador and Day combined on a block before Addington followed with an ace for a 5-2 advantage, and JBU later rattled off four straight points to push the margin from 9-6 to 13-6.

Texas Wesleyan answered with three consecutive points and continued applying pressure throughout a fourth frame filled with difficult, extended exchanges. The Rams repeatedly forced JBU out of system, but the Golden Eagles continued finding ways to extend rallies and, as Carver noted, won the majority of those exchanges.

Texas Wesleyan eventually pulled within two at 18-16 and again at 20-18 before a Fojtik kill narrowed the margin to 20-19.

JBU responded at the critical moment. Consecutive Rams attacking errors gave the Golden Eagles breathing room before Day terminated for a 23-19 advantage. The freshman then supplied the final two JBU kills as well. Day answered Texas Wesleyan sideouts at 23-20 and 24-21, putting away Medina's final set to close the 25-21 decision and complete the season sweep.

The Golden Eagles limited Texas Wesleyan to nine kills against 10 errors in the fourth, holding the Rams to a negative-.021 attack percentage.

"Sweeping the regular-season series against Texas Wesleyan says a lot about how hard this group has worked to come together and the gritty, exciting brand of volleyball they're playing," Carver added. "More importantly, they've found a lot of joy in sharing this experience with one another. Those qualities are foundational for teams that want to do something special over the course of a season. We're still growing and improving, which is exciting, because I believe our best volleyball is still ahead of us as we continue pushing toward the postseason."

John Brown stays inside Bill George Arena Saturday afternoon (Oct. 17), welcoming league-leading Nelson (Texas) for a 1 p.m. matchup to close the home weekend. Fans can follow the Golden Eagles' encore through live coverage on the Urban Edge Network and SAC Sports Network.

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