PLAINVIEW, Texas -- Less than 24 hours after suffering a five-set setback in Goodwell, the John Brown University volleyball team responded with a balanced offensive effort Saturday afternoon (Oct. 24), turning back Wayland Baptist (Texas) in four sets (26-24, 25-18, 19-25, 25-21) inside the Hutcherson Center.

John Brown improved to 15-11 overall and 11-7 in Sooner Athletic play with the bounce-back victory, while Wayland Baptist fell to 15-10 and 11-6. The result keeps the Golden Eagles firmly involved in the crowded pursuit of a top-four conference finish and the opportunity to host in the Sooner Athletic tournament.

The Golden Eagles spread 58 kills across the attack, finishing at .209 (58-26-153) and putting away six more terminations than the Pioneers. Wayland Baptist finished with the better overall attacking percentage at .232 (52-17-151), but JBU committed just five service errors compared with 11 for the hosts. The teams were virtually even defensively, with John Brown holding a 65-64 edge in digs while each side produced four total blocks.

Freshman Chelsea Day led the Golden Eagles with 15 kills on .286 hitting, while sophomore Kate Carlson added 12 terminations at a .290 clip. Sophomore Reese Montgomery was particularly efficient in the middle, converting six kills with only one error on 11 swings for a .455 percentage. Senior Akayla Kador supplied eight kills, sophomore Clara Hyke added six and junior Federica Ferrari put away four of seven attempts without an error for a .571 clip.

The setting tandem took advantage of that balance, with junior Tessa Medina handing out 25 assists and sophomore Taylor Kosmicki adding 21. Kosmicki also collected 10 digs for a double-double of the afternoon, while Medina finished one dig shy with nine.

Sophomore Paige Addington anchored another busy afternoon for the back row with a match-high 23 digs and two aces. Junior Mallory Jury added nine digs without a service error, freshman Emily Whitten contributed seven digs and senior Mia Bowman landed two aces.

"I'm proud of our players for coming out strong against Wayland and earning a bounce-back win after a tough five-set loss last night," head coach Ken Carver said. "It was a total team effort in a match that went back and forth throughout. Our serve reception stayed consistent, which gave us more options offensively, and even though it wasn't our best blocking match, we came up with some timely touches when we needed them. Our back-row players also worked extremely hard and bailed us out several times when there were openings around our block."

Wayland Baptist received a team-high 13 kills on .312 hitting from Sevval Aslan, while Taisiia Kalchenko added 11 terminations. Emma Scott finished with six kills on .455 hitting in two sets, Milena Alliot-Maslankiewicz led the Pioneers with 18 digs and Martyna Lewinska distributed 24 assists.

Set 1: The opener established the back-and-forth character of the afternoon, featuring 13 ties and four lead changes. Neither team could establish lasting control through the first half of the frame, with Wayland Baptist eventually turning an 11-11 tie into a 14-11 advantage.

JBU twice pulled even before the Pioneers created another late cushion, moving ahead 19-16 and eventually 22-19. Day sided out to start the Golden Eagles' response, Tucker followed with another kill and Addington delivered consecutive aces to turn the three-point deficit into a 23-22 JBU advantage.

Wayland answered to tie the set at 23 and again at 24, but Hyke provided the final sideout before Jury's ace finished the 26-24 decision. John Brown survived despite the Pioneers hitting .293 in the opener, using three aces and timely defensive plays to take the early advantage.

Set 2: Four ties marked the opening eight points before John Brown created the first sustained separation. Three consecutive Wayland attacking errors, the last coming against a Carlson-Kador block, pushed the Golden Eagles ahead 7-4, and JBU never trailed again.

The hosts remained within three at 15-12, but John Brown steadily stretched the margin. A Wayland setting error and attacking error surrounded Bowman's ace during a four-point push that made it 19-13, and consecutive Carlson kills later expanded the advantage to 21-14.

Wayland briefly cut the margin to five before Day sided out at 23-16. Two more Pioneer miscues supplied JBU's final points in the 25-18 win. The Golden Eagles hit a match-best .296 (10-2-27) in the second while forcing Wayland into 10 attacking errors and a .111 percentage.

Set 3: After three early ties, Wayland Baptist seized control with the first major run of the set. With the score even at 4-4, the Pioneers scored six consecutive points, including three Kalchenko kills, to establish a 10-4 advantage.

The margin eventually reached 18-8 before John Brown began finding some offensive rhythm. Kador sided out at 19-9, and consecutive Day kills followed as JBU trimmed the deficit to 19-12.

The Golden Eagles continued fighting into the closing stages, with Carlson and Tucker helping cut the margin to 24-19, but Brooklyn Bundy terminated the next rally to finish Wayland's 25-19 response. The Pioneers produced their strongest offensive set of the afternoon, hitting .359 (16-2-39), while JBU finished at .143.

Set 4: The clincher featured three ties and three lead changes, with Wayland Baptist again creating the first significant advantage. The Pioneers turned a 3-3 tie into a 7-3 lead and later stretched the margin to 11-7.

John Brown gradually worked its way back before making its move from a 14-12 deficit. A Wayland service error started a four-point Golden Eagle run, with Day tying the frame, another Pioneer error giving JBU the lead and Hyke extending it to 16-14.

Day remained heavily involved as the Golden Eagles pushed the margin to 19-15, but Wayland refused to go quietly. The hosts scored five of the next seven points and closed within 21-20 after consecutive JBU attacking errors.

The Blue and Gold answered with the match on the line. A Wayland service error made it 22-20, and after Aslan cut the advantage back to one, Ferrari delivered consecutive kills for match point. One final Pioneer attacking error completed the 25-21 victory.

John Brown saved its most productive attacking frame for the finish, putting away 19 kills and hitting .286 (19-7-42) in the fourth. Wayland managed only eight kills in the clincher and finished at .143.

"This was an important win for us as we continue pushing toward the postseason, but regardless of how these final two weeks play out, I continue to love this team's grit, its resolve to compete until the final point and the way our players keep pushing one another both on and off the court," Carver added. "Those qualities have been consistent with this group, and they continue to give us opportunities to be successful."

Bill George Arena is next for the Golden Eagles, who return home Friday evening (Oct. 30) for a 6 p.m. Sooner Athletic matchup with Science & Arts (Okla.). Live coverage from Siloam Springs will be available on the Urban Edge Network and SAC Sports Network.

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