SAN ANTONIO -- The John Brown University volleyball team picked up a five-set victory over Kansas Wesleyan to open the Texas Two-Step Invitational, hosted by Our Lady of the Lake (Texas), but fell in its next three contests to close out the weekend inside Mabee Gymnasium to open the 2026 season this past weekend (Aug. 21-22).
Sophomore Kate Carlson finished the weekend with a team-leading 35 kills, averaging 2.19 kills per set to lead the John Brown offense, while sophomore newcomer Olivia Tucker added another 33 terminations (2.06 average) over the four matches.
Sophomore Clara Hyke posted a team-high 11 kills in the three-set win (22-25, 25-19, 25-20, 23-25, 21-19) in the thrilling win over KWU on Friday morning.
Junior Tessa Medina passed out 56 assists (3.50 per set) to lead the Blue and Gold setting effort, as the Golden Eagles combined to hit .133 (168-88-600) on the weekend. Freshman Chloe Hooper added 39 helpers, while sophomore Taylor Kosmicki contributed 27.
After besting Kansas Wesleyan, JBU finished Friday with a sweep to the hands of the host Saints (22-25, 15-25, 19-25), hitting just .115 on the night in a match that didn't begin until after 10 p.m. Saturday didn't fare much better, as JBU suffered a five-set defeat to William Penn (22-25, 25-13, 29-27, 10-25, 12-15) before closing out the weekend in three to Paul Quinn (Texas) by scores of 17-25, 22-25, 25-27.
"While we may not have gotten as many wins as we would've liked, there were a lot of good things to take away from our opening weekend performance," head coach Ken Carver noted. "With how closely matched all of the teams were, perseverance and grit were essential to any team's success. Our team showed an amazing amount of resiliency throughout the tournament. Our players showed good focus and the willingness to compete for every point.
"Beyond some of the success we saw on the court, there were also a number of learning opportunities for our young team to take away and work on in the coming week. We're always looking to go on runs and have to give ourselves the opportunity to do that. We showed moments of what our team is truly capable of offensively, but we were mostly inconsistent in this area. Some of that is to be expected at this early point of the season. I know this area will continue to make improvements moving forward."
Medina and junior Mallory Jury led the way with six service aces apiece. On defense, senior Mia Bowman piled up 89 digs (5.56 per set) over 16 sets in the back row – including a career-high 37 scoops in the KWU match – while Tucker paced the front-row effort, totaling 10 blocks. Freshman Whitley Underdown added nine rejections of her own over the weekend.
"I liked seeing the decisions our players were attempting to make and the courage they had to take bold swings in tightly contested moments," added Carver. "I am extremely proud of the commitment to doing the small things and the effort our players continue to show. Both of those things have been very evident and will be crucial for our team's continued development and success the remainder of the season.
"All in all, I'm excited for what lies ahead with this group of players. They've already formed a very tight-knit group and established a sound foundation to our team culture and core values we're attempting to live out on a daily basis. Plus, this is just a fun group of players to coach and watch play. This weekend was the start of our journey, and how good this team can be has yet to be determined. We have a tremendous amount of potential we'll continue to work on actualizing as we move throughout the rest of the season."
The tournament portion of the season continues this upcoming weekend, where the Golden Eagles travel to St. Louis, Mo. to take part in the Eutectics Classic, hosted by Health Sciences & Pharmacy inside the UHSP Gymnasium from Aug. 28-29.
The Blue and Gold will face, besides the tournament host, Rust (Miss.), Friends (Kan.) and, for a second time, William Penn (Iowa). All matches will air live on the Urban Edge Network.
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