SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- The John Brown University volleyball team opened its home schedule Friday night (Sept. 4) with a spirited second-set rally, but unbeaten Oklahoma City's balanced attack and serving pressure proved too much as the Golden Eagles fell in four sets (25-12, 29-31, 25-16, 25-21) in its Sooner Athletic opener inside Bill George Arena.
Oklahoma City (7-0, 1-0 Sooner Athletic) entered the match at or near the top of the conference in several offensive categories, and that production showed early. The Stars consistently spread the attack among multiple hitters, with its setters keeping JBU's block from settling on one option.
John Brown (4-5, 0-1) had difficulty slowing that attack at the net, finishing with only three total blocks while Oklahoma City hit .313 for the match (63-12-163). The Stars also produced 11 service aces, the most JBU has allowed this season.
The serving pressure also affected the Golden Eagle offense. Passing frequently pulled the Golden Eagles' setters off the net, limiting the available options and forcing the pin hitters to attack into a well-formed Oklahoma City block.
"OCU showed why it is one of the top offensive teams in our conference," head coach Ken Carver noted. "They have a number of hitters they can go to, and their setters do a great job distributing the ball. I thought our team battled and was scrappy, but we struggled at times to consistently slow down their attack from a blocking standpoint.
"Our first-ball contact also wasn't as clean as we needed it to be. Our passing brought our setters off the net more than we would like, which put a lot of pressure on our pin hitters to score against a well-formed block. There were still stretches where we handled that really well."
That combination helped the Stars control the opening set. Oklahoma City hit .343 while John Brown managed only four kills and hit minus-.033 in a 25-12 loss.
The second set was a different story.
John Brown weathered another strong City start and turned the frame into a 60-point marathon featuring 10 ties and six lead changes. The Stars eventually built a 22-16 advantage, but the Golden Eagles refused to let the set get away.
Sophomore Olivia Tucker began the comeback with a kill, and sophomore Clara Hyke delivered several timely swings as JBU chipped away at the deficit. Hyke put down kills to make it 22-20 and 22-21 before junior Tessa Medina followed with a service ace to tie the set. Tucker then gave JBU a 23-22 lead with another kill, completing a 7-0 run.
From there, neither side could close it out.
Oklahoma City reached 25 first, but JBU answered. Kate Carlson gave the Golden Eagles a 26-25 advantage, and the teams continued trading points through ties at 26, 27, 28 and 29. Hyke finally broke the last deadlock with a kill for a 30-29 lead before junior Federica Ferrari put away the set-ending swing for a 31-29 victory.
John Brown totaled 21 kills in the second set alone and hit .263 on 57 swings.
Ferrari provided one of the Golden Eagles' most efficient performances of the night. She finished with nine kills and only one error on 21 attempts, good for a .381 hitting percentage, and added a block assist.
Oklahoma City responded quickly in the third. The Stars scored the first six points and never trailed, hitting .343 with just one attack error in a 25-16 win.
John Brown made another push in the fourth. An ace from junior Mallory Jury and a block from sophomore Reese Montgomery and Ferrari helped the Golden Eagles build a 10-6 lead, forcing Oklahoma City into a timeout.
The Stars answered with six straight points to move back in front 12-10 and gradually took control. Kacie Townsend later delivered consecutive service aces to push the margin to 18-13.
John Brown mounted one final rally after falling behind 24-18. Tucker put down two kills and freshman Chelsea Day added another as the Golden Eagles fought off three match points and pulled within 24-21, but Townsend ended the match with her 21st termination.
Tucker led John Brown offensively with 17 kills on 38 attempts, hitting .289. Ferrari followed with nine kills, while Hyke and Carlson each added eight. Medina finished with 24 assists, and sophomore Taylor Kosmicki added 18.
Defensively, sophomore Paige Addington led all players with 23 digs, while senior Mia Bowman added 15.
Townsend led Oklahoma City with 21 kills while hitting .422 and added four aces, eight digs and two block assists. Amber Jones finished with 10 kills, two aces and four block assists, while Grace Smallwood added 12 kills and 18 digs.
"I loved the game-day environment and all the excitement and energy our family members, friends and fans brought for our home opener," added Carver. "Even after OCU came out quickly and quieted the arena with its efficient play, our fans rallied around our team and played a big part in the energy we needed to respond.
"It was definitely a match of momentum swings, and whichever team was able to hold onto that momentum was usually the team controlling the set. I liked our energy and grit. We never stopped fighting for each point, and there were several moments that showed the potential this group has. We just need to continue working toward greater consistency and playing a little cleaner."
The Golden Eagles finish up the weekend slate by welcoming Southwestern Christian (Okla.) to Bill George Arena for a 1 p.m. matinee contest. First serve is slated for 1 p.m., and the match will be carried live on both the SAC Sports Network and the Urban Edge Network.
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