SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- In a home finale match that swung through 34 ties and 17 lead changes, sophomore Paige Addington collected a career-high 43 digs, the third-most in program history, but the John Brown University volleyball team could not hold a 2-1 set advantage in a five-set loss to Mid-America Christian (Okla.) (25-21, 23-25, 25-23, 17-25, 11-15) Saturday afternoon (Oct. 31) inside Bill George Arena.

John Brown (15-13, 11-9 Sooner Athletic) captured two of the first three frames before MACU found another gear offensively over the final two. After both sides hit .167 in the third, the visitors improved to .225 in the fourth and .207 in the fifth, while JBU slipped to .156 before managing just two kills on 23 swings in the deciding set.

The Golden Eagles still created advantages at the service line and net. JBU landed 12 aces against eight for Mid-America Christian and totaled 12 blocks to the visitors' five, although 13 service errors accompanied the aggressive serving effort. The Blue and Gold averaged 2.40 blocks per set, marking the second consecutive match in which John Brown finished at 2.00 or more blocks per frame.

Addington's 43 digs surpassed her previous career high and stand as the third-most in a single match in JBU history. She also matched her season high with five service aces.

Senior Akayla Kador established career and season highs with eight total blocks, recording one solo rejection and seven block-assists, while sophomore Olivia Tucker also set career and season highs with seven rejections. Tucker added seven kills.

Sophomore Kate Carlson paced the JBU attack with 12 kills, while junior Federica Ferrari delivered a season-high 10 terminations and hit .200. Sophomore Reese Montgomery added seven kills and four blocks, sophomore Clara Hyke contributed five kills and freshman Chelsea Day finished with six kills in two sets.

Freshman Chloe Hooper recorded a double-double with 21 assists and 12 digs. Junior Tessa Medina added 20 assists, nine digs and three service aces.

Behind Addington, senior Mia Bowman collected 16 digs, freshman Emily Whitten added 11 and junior Mallory Jury finished with seven as the Golden Eagles amassed 111 digs during an afternoon filled with extended rallies. Jury also landed three aces.

"This was a classic Halloween match filled with both tricks and treats," head coach Ken Carver said. "Senior Day against MACU was another back-and-forth battle, which seems to be the norm when our teams get together. With all of the pre-match emotion, tears, laughter and memories being shared, I was proud of the way our group came out focused and ready to play. We got off to another strong start and won the first set, but from there the match settled into a tightly contested battle where neither team was able to create much separation. Ultimately, it came down to which team executed better late in sets."

Seyi Atolagbe led Mid-America Christian (15-11, 10-9) with 15 kills on .294 hitting, while Marcela Nalin added 14 and Mia Benson finished with 11. Gracelyn Skaggs collected 38 digs, Jasmine Liongco handed out 31 assists and Kristen Straughn contributed 19 assists and four service aces.

Set 1: John Brown wasted little time establishing the early tone. Tucker and Day supplied kills during a 3-0 start, and Montgomery later helped push the hosts in front 5-1.

JBU continued building separation as Carlson and Ferrari joined the attack, stretching the margin to 11-5 before MACU gradually worked its way back. The visitors eventually erased the deficit and tied the frame at 14-14.

The opener became a back-and-forth battle from there, ultimately featuring eight ties and six lead changes. Neither team moved more than a point ahead through a 21-21 deadlock before John Brown delivered the decisive finish.

A Nalin attacking error gave JBU the lead, consecutive Atolagbe errors moved the Golden Eagles to set point, with Tucker and Kador combining on a block for the latter, and Whitten followed with an ace to complete a four-point closing run and the 25-21 victory. JBU hit .234 (15-4-47) and produced four blocks in the opener.

Set 2: The second frame featured nine ties and four lead changes as neither side maintained control for long.

MACU created the first significant margin, turning a 7-7 tie into a 12-7 advantage. John Brown eventually trailed 13-8 before Addington took over from the service line.

A MACU attacking error opened the door before Addington landed consecutive aces, Day terminated the next rally and Addington struck for two more aces. The six-point run, featuring four Addington aces, vaulted JBU in front 14-13.

The visitors immediately answered with four straight to regain a 18-14 edge and maintained a narrow advantage into the closing points. MACU reached set point at 24-21 before Tucker sided out and a visitor attacking error pulled John Brown within 24-23.

Bailey White answered on the next rally, however, giving MACU the 25-23 equalizer.

Set 3: Another tightly contested frame followed, with eight ties and four lead changes.

Mid-America Christian moved ahead 4-1 before consecutive Carlson kills helped the Golden Eagles erase the early deficit. Carlson struck again and Montgomery followed as JBU eventually moved ahead 7-5.

The teams continued trading points through a 10-10 tie before Ferrari restored the lead, Jury landed an ace and Kador and Ferrari combined on a block to create a 13-10 cushion.

MACU worked back to level the frame at 19-19, but JBU again found separation. Ferrari put the hosts back in front, Hyke followed with a termination, Jury delivered another ace and Ferrari struck again to build a 23-20 advantage.

The visitors answered with three straight to produce the eighth tie at 23-23. A MACU attacking error handed John Brown set point before Medina landed an ace to finish the 25-23 decision and put the Golden Eagles ahead two sets to one.

Set 4: The fourth remained nearly even through its opening half, producing seven ties and three lead changes before the teams reached a 12-12 stalemate.

MACU finally created separation with three straight points. John Brown twice worked back within two, including at 16-14 on a Carlson kill, but the visitors answered with another three-point push to build a 19-14 advantage.

Carlson and Ferrari delivered consecutive kills to cut the margin to 19-16, but MACU controlled the finish. The visitors scored six of the final seven points to take the frame 25-17.

The offensive trend also began to shift decisively. Mid-America Christian hit .225 (13-4-40) in the fourth, while JBU finished at .156 (12-5-45).

Set 5: MACU carried the momentum into the deciding frame, building a 4-1 advantage before John Brown began another response.

The Golden Eagles chipped the margin down to 5-4 and later trailed 8-5 before Carlson supplied a kill and Jury followed with an ace to complete a three-point push that tied the set at 8-8.

Mid-America Christian responded with the decisive run of the match, scoring four consecutive points to move ahead 12-8. Carlson finally ended the surge, and JBU continued fighting as a MACU attacking error and Kador solo block pulled the hosts within 13-11.

Atolagbe answered with a kill before Benson delivered match point, closing the 15-11 decision. MACU put away 12 kills and hit .207 (12-6-29) in the fifth, while John Brown finished at .000 (2-2-23).

"After the third set, we struggled to maintain our offensive production while MACU continued to improve, and that ultimately tilted the match in their favor," Carver added. "Even in the loss, there were a number of things we did well that we can build on as we finish the regular season and turn our attention toward the postseason. I loved how hard our players competed through so many long rallies, and we continued to show improvement in some important areas. We'll regroup in practice next week and work to build some momentum heading into the postseason tournament."

John Brown concludes the regular season next weekend with a two-match road swing, beginning Friday evening (Nov. 6) at Central Christian (Kan.) at 6 p.m. in McPherson, Kan., before visiting Langston (Okla.) Saturday afternoon (Nov. 7) at 1 p.m. in Langston, Okla. Both contests will be available 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 Facebook (/JBUathletics), Instagram (@JBUathletics) and X (@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.