WAXAHACHIE, Texas -- The John Brown University volleyball team turned a difficult start into a tightly contested finish Friday night (Sept. 11), pushing Nelson (Texas) deep into each of the final two sets before falling in three, 25-21, 27-25, 25-23, inside the Sheaffer Center.

The Golden Eagles (5-6, 1-2 Sooner Athletic) came within two points of completing a 10-point comeback in the opening set, erased a six-point deficit and served for the second set, then battled Nelson to a 23-23 tie late in the third. The Lions (7-4, 3-0) answered each push, however, extending its winning streak in the series against the Blue and Gold to 15 matches.

Nelson finished with only two more kills than JBU, 44-42, but produced the cleaner offensive night, hitting .200 (44-17-135) while holding the Golden Eagles to .147 (42-22-136). The Lions also held advantages of 8-6 in blocks and 6-2 at the service line, including four aces in a pivotal second set. John Brown countered by winning the floor-defense battle, 69-62, and recorded assists on all 42 of its kills.

Sophomore Paige Addington turned in her best defensive performance of the season, finishing with a season-high 29 digs for her third straight match with at least 20 scoops – accounting for more than 40 percent of JBU's team dig total.

Sophomore Olivia Tucker carried the largest share of the John Brown attack, finishing with a match-high 14 kills across 41 swings (.098). Freshman Chelsea Day joined her in double figures with 11 kills and added four digs and two block assists. Junior Tessa Medina directed the offense with 26 assists, six digs and a service ace, while sophomore Taylor Kosmicki added eight assists and four digs in the Golden Eagles' setter rotation.

Sophomore Reese Montgomery led John Brown's work at the net with four block assists to go with three kills, while sophomore Kate Carlson added four kills and two block assists. Freshman Whitley Underdown provided three kills without an error on seven attacks, hitting .429 in two sets of action.

Nelson was led offensively by Caroline Boone, who finished with 13 kills on .423 hitting, while Mackenzie Smith added 10 kills. The Lions spread 41 assists among their offense and received four blocks apiece from Savannah Bergman and Keara Savory-Calbo.

Set 1: Nelson seized control almost immediately after the teams split the first two points. The Lions scored five straight to build a 6-1 advantage, then continued adding to the margin as John Brown struggled to establish its attack. The deficit reached 13-3 after another five-point Nelson stretch, forcing the Golden Eagles to spend both timeouts before the midway point of the frame.

Nelson eventually stretched its advantage to 21-11, but John Brown refused to concede the opener. Day and Carlson started the rally with consecutive kills before junior Mallory Jury delivered an ace. Tucker followed with a kill, and a block from senior Akayla Kador and Tucker extended the run to five straight points and forced Nelson into a timeout at 21-16.

After the Lions briefly stopped the run, Tucker answered with consecutive kills and another Nelson attack error pulled JBU within 22-19. Montgomery then put away a kill before Carlson and Montgomery combined on a block to make it 23-21, completing a 10-2 John Brown surge after the Golden Eagles had trailed by 10. Nelson finally steadied itself, taking the next two rallies to escape with a 25-21 opening-set win.

Set 2: The second set developed into the most competitive stretch of the night. Nelson built early leads of 4-1 and 9-5, but John Brown repeatedly worked its way back. A four-point Golden Eagle run tied the frame at 9-9, and the teams traded sideouts and one-point advantages through the middle stages. JBU drew even again at 10, 11, 12, 14, 15 and 17 as neither side could establish separation and 10 ties peppered the set.

Nelson finally broke the pattern after the 17-17 tie. The Lions scored six consecutive points, getting three kills and two service aces while capitalizing on a JBU attack error to suddenly move in front 23-17. With Nelson two points from taking a commanding two-set lead, John Brown responded with its best rally of the match.

A Nelson service error opened the door before Tucker, Jury, Underdown and Day followed with four straight kills to pull JBU within 23-22. Nelson reached set point at 24-22, but another Lion attack error made it a one-point set. Tucker then tied the frame at 24, and another Day kill put John Brown in front 25-24 – its first lead since the opening point and its first set-point opportunity of the night.

Nelson survived, however. Boone tied the set at 25, added another kill to regain the lead, and a Lions block on the next rally closed out the 27-25 decision. John Brown outhit Nelson in the frame, .205 to .178, and matched the Lions with 15 kills, but Nelson's four service aces proved costly.

Set 3: John Brown carried the fight into the third and played from in front for much of the opening half. Tucker put down five kills among JBU's first six points, while Montgomery and Underdown later added kills as the Golden Eagles opened an 11-8 advantage. Nelson chipped away, but John Brown continued to answer and still held a 14-12 edge after another Day kill.

The Lions finally pulled even at 14-14, beginning a back-and-forth finish in which neither team could create more than a two-point cushion. John Brown moved ahead 18-16 on a kill from junior Federica Ferrari and regained a 19-18 edge when Underdown put away another Medina set. Nelson responded with consecutive points for a 20-19 lead and later used an ace to move ahead 21-19.

Day tied the set at 21 with her 11th kill of the night, but Nelson answered with two straight to regain control at 23-21. Once more, the Golden Eagles pushed back. Tucker cut the deficit in half before Montgomery finished a Kosmicki set to square the frame at 23-23. With JBU threatening to extend the match, Nelson produced the final response, using a block and a John Brown attack error to take the last two points and close the set, 25-23.

The third set featured 13 ties and a trio of lead changes.

The Blue and Gold will have little time between conference matches, continuing its Texas road swing Saturday afternoon with a 1 p.m. first serve against Texas Wesleyan inside the Sid Richardson Center. The match will air live on Urban Edge Network and the SAC Sports Network.

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