BETHANY, Okla. -- Sophomore Olivia Tucker put away a match-high 15 kills and sophomore Reese Montgomery produced a career-best 12 total blocks as the John Brown University volleyball team answered Tuesday's setback with a four-set victory over Southwestern Christian (Okla.) (25-22, 18-25, 25-18, 25-21) inside Pickens-Springer Gymnasium Friday evening (Oct. 9).

The Golden Eagles were actually outkilled 55-45 and finished with only three service aces, but created their separation defensively. John Brown accumulated 14 total blocks to SCU's six and held the hosts to .113 hitting (55-33-194), including sub-.100 percentages in each of the final two sets. JBU finished at .168 (45-17-167) while the teams combined for 178 digs.

John Brown (13-8, 9-4 Sooner Athletic) returned to the win column three days after its six-match winning streak ended at College of the Ozarks (Mo.). Southwestern Christian presented a considerably different challenge than in the first meeting, keeping all four frames competitive while forcing JBU to work through multiple lineup combinations on both sides of the ball.

Montgomery was at the center of that defensive effort, recording two solo rejections and 10 block-assists to establish a new career best while adding seven kills. Tucker complemented her 15 terminations with six block-assists, giving her a match-high 18 points.

Junior Tessa Medina directed the attack with a season-high 30 assists, eight digs and an ace, while sophomore Taylor Kosmicki added 11 helpers. Sophomore Paige Addington delivered a career-best 33 digs and handled all 28 of her serve-receive opportunities without an error, while also landing two of JBU's three aces. Freshman Emily Whitten added 16 scoops as the Golden Eagle back row repeatedly extended rallies before the block began taking over later in the match.

The lineup movement also produced useful attacking contributions throughout the rotation. Freshman Chelsea Day finished with six kills on .364 hitting in two sets, while junior Federica Ferrari added five terminations at a .267 clip.

"I'm proud of our team's effort tonight and the way we responded after Tuesday's loss," head coach Ken Carver said. "We spent the past two days working on several things to prepare for this weekend, and it was good to see our players implement some of those areas while also making adjustments throughout the match. Southwestern Christian came to play, and every set was a back-and-forth battle.

"We used several different lineups to try to find the right combinations both offensively and defensively, and I thought our players handled those changes well."

Southwestern Christian (4-11, 2-11 SAC) received a double-double from Emery Hulme, who finished with 15 kills and 20 digs. Karen Jimenez and Sara Castrillon each supplied 10 terminations, while Emma Hall paired 28 assists with 13 digs for another double-double. Ana Turone paced the hosts with 22 digs.

Set 1: Southwestern Christian built the first meaningful advantage of the night at 4-2, but John Brown answered with six consecutive points. Montgomery sided out before combining with Tucker on a block, and Tucker then delivered three straight terminations to push the Golden Eagles in front 8-4.

The hosts immediately trimmed the margin to 8-7, but JBU kept SCU from pulling even and gradually rebuilt the cushion. Medina's ace made it 12-9, and the Blue and Gold later stretched the lead to 17-12 behind a Ferrari kill and a Southwestern Christian attacking error.

SCU continued hanging around and eventually closed within 22-20, then again at 24-22, but John Brown sided out each time it needed to protect the advantage. Montgomery delivered the final termination to close a 25-22 opener in which neither side hit better than .140.

Set 2: JBU appeared ready to create early separation again when a Montgomery kill completed a three-point run for a 5-1 lead, and Ferrari later stretched the advantage to 9-4.

The hosts gradually settled in, however, using four consecutive points to erase an 11-7 deficit and pull even at 11-11. The frame remained tight through a 13-13 tie before the hosts took their first sustained control with three straight points and moved ahead 15-13.

Tucker and Ferrari helped JBU stay within striking distance, with Ferrari's fourth kill of the set cutting the margin to 18-17. SCU answered decisively from there, taking four consecutive rallies to build a 22-17 cushion before eventually closing the set 25-18.

Southwestern Christian hit a match-best .180 (15-6-50) in the second while holding John Brown to .125 (11-5-48), evening the match at a set apiece.

Set 3: The Golden Eagle block began changing the complexion of the match in the third. After SCU pulled within 7-5, John Brown rattled off six consecutive points, with junior Mallory Jury serving the final five rallies of the surge as Day supplied two kills and the hosts committed several miscues.

The run handed JBU a 13-5 advantage, and Montgomery continued making her presence felt at the net. The sophomore had a hand in four of John Brown's five blocks in the frame, including combinations with Tucker and sophomore Clara Hyke that helped keep Southwestern Christian from establishing any consistent rhythm.

The hosts made one late push, scoring four straight to cut a 19-11 deficit to 19-15, but JBU answered with three consecutive points and never allowed the margin to become uncomfortable again. Hyke supplied two late kills before an SCU attacking error finished the 25-18 decision.

John Brown hit a match-best .222 (10-2-36) in the third and limited the hosts to .070 (12-9-43).

Set 4: Southwestern Christian again put the Golden Eagles under early pressure in the fourth, opening leads of 8-4 and 12-9 before freshman Whitley Underdown sided out to begin a five-point JBU response.

Two Hulme attacking errors followed, Montgomery teamed up with sophomore Kate Carlson on another rejection and Addington capped the surge with an ace, giving the visitors a 14-12 advantage. The hosts answered with three straight to retake the lead, 15-14, but Tucker tied the frame before Montgomery recorded a solo rejection for a 16-15 edge.

SCU pulled even once more, only for Montgomery to stuff another attack by herself to put JBU ahead for good at 17-16. Day followed with a kill, and the Golden Eagles gradually worked the margin to 20-18.

From there, Tucker took over offensively. The sophomore supplied four consecutive John Brown kills, repeatedly answering Southwestern Christian sideouts and carrying the Golden Eagles from 20-18 to match point at 24-21. Carlson and Montgomery then teamed for the final rejection, closing the 25-21 win.

Montgomery was involved in all five of JBU's blocks in the fourth, including both of her solo rejections, as the Golden Eagles limited SCU to .082 hitting (14-10-49) over the final frame.

"It took us a little while to get going offensively, but as the match progressed, our attack and blocking both began to make a bigger impact," Carver added. "Until then, we relied heavily on our back-row players, and they did an outstanding job keeping us in rallies.

"Our serving and serve receive were also much improved from our previous match. Even though we didn't produce a lot of aces, our location got better throughout the night and helped us put our defense in better positions to make plays."

John Brown makes the short move across Oklahoma City on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 10), meeting the Stars at 1 p.m. inside Abe Lemons Arena to complete the weekend road swing. Live coverage of the conference matchup will be available only through the SAC Sports Network for a fee.

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