CHICKASHA, Okla. -- Sophomore Clara Hyke put away a career-high 16 kills, and the John Brown University volleyball team twice answered a one-set deficit before finishing off Science & Arts (Okla.) in five sets (19-25, 25-17, 20-25, 25-20, 15-12) inside Drover Fieldhouse Saturday afternoon (Sept. 26).

John Brown (10-7, 6-3 Sooner Athletic) completed a 3-0 week that required 14 of a possible 15 sets, extending its winning streak to four matches while moving into a three-way tie for third place in the SAC standings after four weeks of league play.

The victory also snapped a two-match skid against the Drovers.

The Golden Eagles produced modest statistical separation offensively, finishing with a 59-54 advantage in kills and outhitting Science & Arts .177 (59-30-164) to .155 (54-30-155), but the larger difference again came from behind the service line. JBU landed 11 aces, and held USAO to four while the two sides finished even with 11 total blocks apiece.

Hyke's career effort came on an efficient .324 attacking line (16-5-34), and the sophomore also contributed four total blocks. Freshman Chelsea Day followed with 13 kills, while sophomore Kate Carlson gave the Blue and Gold a third attacker in double figures with 10 terminations.

Senior Akayla Kador added seven kills at a .267 clip and five blocks, while freshman Whitley Underdown matched her with five total rejections to go with five kills. The tandem helped JBU match a Drover front line that also accumulated 11 blocks on the afternoon.

Junior Tessa Medina handed out 28 assists and freshman Chloe Hooper added 21, tying her career high, as the pair accounted for 49 of John Brown's 57 helpers. Both setters also collected eight digs.

Sophomore Paige Addington again made her presence felt in two phases, anchoring the back row with a match-high 24 digs while serving five aces. Junior Mallory Jury supplied four more service winners, giving the duo nine of JBU's 11 aces.

Science & Arts (11-5, 5-3 SAC) leaned heavily on Trinity Williams and Chloe Conover offensively. Williams terminated 15 swings while hitting .500 (15-2-26) and added four blocks, while Conover finished with 14 kills on .312 hitting and a match-best eight total blocks. Josie Griffin paced the Drover defense with 19 digs and added a pair of aces.

Set 1: Science & Arts never trailed in the opener after scoring the first two points, gradually widening its advantage while attacking at a match-best .370 clip. The Drovers moved ahead 11-6 midway through the frame and later used another three-point push to build a 17-12 cushion.

JBU continued working back into the set and twice strung together three consecutive points late, the second surge pulling the Golden Eagles within 22-19 behind a Hyke termination, a Tucker kill and a Tucker-Underdown block. USAO stopped the comeback there, however, taking the final three rallies to close out a 25-19 win while holding John Brown to .083 hitting (12-9-36).

Set 2: Six ties and three lead changes kept the second frame unsettled through the middle stages before John Brown's serving completely changed the set. USAO had moved in front 14-11 when Underdown sided out for JBU, putting Addington behind the service line with the Golden Eagles trailing by two.

Addington then served John Brown through eight consecutive points as part of a nine-point overall run that transformed the 14-11 deficit into a 20-14 advantage. The sophomore landed four aces during the service turn, while Kador and Tucker supplied kills and the Drovers committed three attacking errors.

Science & Arts never recovered from the swing. Carlson and Day added late terminations before Jury punctuated the frame with back-to-back aces, finishing a 25-17 win in which JBU hit a match-best .346 (12-3-26) and served six aces.

Set 3: The third remained competitive through an 8-8 tie before the Drovers seized control with seven consecutive points. Williams and Conover both produced kills during the run, while USAO's block repeatedly slowed the Golden Eagle attack and helped create a 15-8 advantage.

John Brown eventually fell behind 22-12 before mounting its best push of the frame, scoring six straight behind Bowman's serve to pull within four. Hyke supplied consecutive kills during the run and later combined with Kador at the net, but Science & Arts steadied itself and took the set 25-20.

The Drovers recorded seven of their 11 blocks in the third alone while JBU finished at .000 hitting (10-10-41).

Set 4: With its possible four-match winning streak facing a 2-1 match deficit, John Brown answered by producing its best offensive frame of the afternoon. USAO briefly held a 7-5 advantage before Hyke sided out and JBU rattled off five consecutive points, with junior Federica Ferrari, Kador and Day contributing terminations as the Golden Eagles moved in front 10-7 – prompting a Drover timeout.

The Blue and Gold continued creating separation from there, pushing the margin to 18-12 behind back-to-back Hyke kills and a solo rejection from the sophomore. Day later supplied consecutive terminations to make it 21-15, and although the Drovers fought off three set points late, Carlson ended the frame with her 10th kill of the match for a 25-20 victory.

Hyke and Day each put away five kills during a fourth set in which John Brown attacked at .300 (17-5-40) and held Science & Arts to .125 (10-6-32), forcing a second five-set match in five days.

Set 5: Science & Arts scored the opening point of the deciding frame, but John Brown answered immediately with four straight and never relinquished the lead. Hyke capped the early run with her 15th termination, and Underdown later added a kill as JBU carried a 6-3 advantage into the middle portion of the set.

The Golden Eagles created their largest cushion at 10-5 after a Carlson termination, and although the Drovers continued answering enough to stay within striking distance, JBU consistently sided out before USAO could string together a decisive run. Carlson made it 13-9, Day pushed the Golden Eagles to match point at 14-10 and, after the Drovers fought off two opportunities, Day terminated Medina's set to finish the 15-12 victory.

John Brown returns home Thursday evening (Oct. 1) to host Langston (Okla.) at 6 p.m. inside Bill George Arena, opening a two-match homecoming weekend for the Golden Eagles. Both contests will be streamed live on the Urban Edge Network and the SAC Sports Network.

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