SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- The John Brown University volleyball team captured the opening set and battled through a 13-tie fourth frame, but Science & Arts (Okla.) leaned on a productive pin attack to hand the Golden Eagles a four-set setback (25-21, 20-25, 16-25, 22-25) Friday evening (Oct. 30) inside Bill George Arena.

The Drovers (18-8, 12-6 Sooner Athletic) entered Friday as one of the league's most productive offensive teams, leading the SAC in hitting percentage (.242) and assists per set (12.30), while ranking second in kills per set (12.91) and third in points per set (16.43).

John Brown's (15-12, 11-8) serving plan was built around aggressive location designed to make it more difficult for USAO to establish its middle attack. The hosts finished with seven aces against five for the visitors, but the Drovers found another route through the pins. Iyahna Hibbler and Chloe Conover combined for 37 of USAO's 56 kills and hit .411 (37-7-73) between them.

The larger offensive disparity developed after the opener. Science & Arts finished at .259 (56-20-139) for the match compared with JBU's .140 (48-27-150), and the visiting side produced 14 total blocks to the Golden Eagles' eight. John Brown hit .275 in the first set but was held to .000 in both the second and third before recovering to .244 in the fourth.

Sophomore Reese Montgomery led the Blue and Gold with 12 kills while committing only two errors on 25 swings for a .400 attack percentage. Sophomore Olivia Tucker added 10 kills on .214 hitting, while senior Akayla Kador contributed four kills and four block-assists. Montgomery and Kador combined for 16 kills at a .343 clip on 35 attacks as JBU made a concerted effort to involve its middles.

Junior Federica Ferrari added five kills on .333 hitting in two sets, sophomore Clara Hyke contributed four kills and four total blocks, and sophomore Kate Carlson and freshman Chelsea Day finished with six kills apiece.

Junior Tessa Medina handed out 20 assists and landed a match-high three aces, while sophomore Taylor Kosmicki added 15 assists and six digs.

Sophomore Paige Addington paced the defense with 16 digs, freshman Emily Whitten added nine and senior Mia Bowman collected five digs with two aces. Junior Mallory Jury also worked through the back-row rotation as JBU's defensive specialists helped provide the first-ball contact needed to expand the offense.

"I was proud of several aspects of our play against USAO tonight," head coach Ken Carver said. "We executed our serving game plan well in terms of both location and aggressiveness, and I thought that helped us limit some of the things they wanted to do offensively. We weren't as successful slowing down their pin attackers, particularly Chloe Conover and Iyahna Hibbler, and that was an area where they consistently hurt us. I also like the progress we've made in starting matches faster instead of putting ourselves in situations where we have to work so hard from behind."

Hibbler led all players with 21 kills while hitting .474 (21-3-38), and Conover added 16 kills on a .343 clip along with eight total blocks. Trinity Williams finished with seven kills and eight blocks, while USAO setters Cloey Dress and Ytzel Garcia distributed 27 and 20 assists, respectively. Garcia also finished with 10 digs. Libero Josie Griffin led the Drovers with 15 digs.

Set 1: USAO scored the first five points, but John Brown quickly settled into the match. The Golden Eagles answered with three straight, then erased another three-point deficit behind kills from Montgomery and Tucker and an Addington ace to pull ahead 7-6.

The opener developed into a tightly contested frame from there, featuring nine ties and five lead changes. JBU moved in front 10-8 behind a Day kill, but neither side could create meaningful separation through an 18-18 deadlock.

The home side finally broke through at the finish. Hyke and Kador combined on a block before Carlson, Montgomery and Carlson again delivered consecutive kills, completing a four-point run that gave JBU a 22-18 advantage.

USAO answered with consecutive Hibbler terminations, but Montgomery sided out for 23-20. After the visitors pulled within two once more, Tucker supplied set point before Montgomery finished the 25-21 opener. The Golden Eagles hit .275 (16-5-40) in the frame.

Set 2: JBU appeared ready to carry that momentum forward, using a Day kill and consecutive Montgomery terminations during a six-point surge that turned an early 1-0 deficit into a 6-1 advantage.

The Drovers immediately countered with six straight of their own, tying the frame at 6-6 before moving in front 7-6. Three ties and two lead changes marked the set, but USAO gradually gained control after the early exchange.

John Brown worked back within 15-14 behind a Medina ace and Montgomery kill, and Carlson later cut the margin to 16-15. The visitors responded with five consecutive points, however, using Conover twice and three JBU attacking errors to open a 21-15 cushion.

The Golden Eagles produced one final push when Kador and Hyke combined on a block and Bowman followed with consecutive aces, trimming a 24-17 deficit to 24-20. USAO escaped on the next rally for the 25-20 equalizer. JBU finished with 11 kills and 11 attacking errors in the set for a .000 percentage.

Set 3: Four early ties kept the third even through 4-4, but Science & Arts took command with five consecutive points. The run pushed the Drovers in front 8-4 before the Golden Eagles gradually fought back, with three straight Hyke kills helping JBU close within 9-8.

John Brown later pulled within one again at 11-10, but Hibbler supplied the centerpiece of USAO's response. The pin attacker recorded four kills during a stretch that moved the visitors ahead 15-10, and the margin continued growing from there.

The Drovers eventually pushed the advantage to eight at 22-14 and closed the 25-16 decision behind another Hibbler termination. USAO hit .281 (15-6-32), while the Golden Eagles managed five kills against five errors on 30 swings for their second straight .000 attacking set.

Set 4: John Brown responded with its most competitive frame since the opener. The fourth featured 13 ties and seven lead changes, with neither side holding more than a small advantage through a 14-14 stalemate.

USAO briefly pushed ahead 16-14, but Tucker and Ferrari supplied consecutive kills before a Drover attacking error gave JBU a 17-16 edge. The visitors answered with three straight to retake the lead, and the teams continued trading pressure down the stretch.

Kador twice pulled the Golden Eagles within one, first at 19-18 and again at 20-19, before consecutive Hibbler kills and a USAO block created a 23-19 advantage. John Brown refused to concede the frame. Ferrari, Tucker and Montgomery delivered three consecutive kills to pull the hosts within 23-22.

Hibbler then supplied the sideout on the next rally, and Caeli Schaefer finished the 25-22 decision. JBU's offense rebounded to .244 (16-6-41) in the fourth, but USAO countered with its best attacking set of the night at .325 (16-3-40).

"I appreciated the grit our team showed in the fourth set after a difficult third," Carver added. "We also did a better job getting our middle hitters involved offensively, which was made possible by some consistent first-ball contact from our defensive specialists. In the end, USAO was simply more consistent throughout the match. We had stretches where we played very well and others where we made too many unforced errors offensively. We'll need to be more efficient and effective tomorrow against MACU."

John Brown closes the weekend Saturday afternoon (Oct. 31), hosting Mid-America Christian (Okla.) at 1 p.m. inside Bill George Arena. Live coverage will be available on the SAC Sports Network.

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