SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- The John Brown University volleyball team responded from a difficult night less than 24 hours earlier with a straight-set victory Saturday afternoon (Sept. 5), sweeping Southwestern Christian (Okla.) in straight sets (25-12, 29-27, 25-22) inside Bill George Arena behind a season-best 14 kills from sophomore Kate Carlson.
After struggling in several areas against Oklahoma City on Friday night, the Golden Eagles (5-5, 1-1 Sooner Athletic) delivered a markedly cleaner performance against Southwestern Christian. John Brown committed just one reception error after entering Saturday off a season-high total, while its 75 digs worked out to a season-best 25.0 per set.
Sophomore Paige Addington accounted for more than one-third of that defensive production herself, finishing with a match-high 26 scoops in three sets. JBU also produced six total blocks and held the visiting Eagles to a .051 hitting percentage, limiting the visitors to 31 kills against 24 attack errors.
"I am really proud of our players and the way they responded," head coach Ken Carver noted. "They came into the match with a fresh mindset and a determination to improve their performance. You could tell from the start how dialed in they were. To our opponent's credit, they made some adjustments and played very scrappy defense, but as has been the case with this team, our grittiness and willingness to fight for every point allowed us to respond.
"I was also pleased with the improvement we showed in several areas. Our passing gave our setters more freedom to move the ball around and get different hitters involved. Our front-row players did a better job of getting in front of opposing attackers and getting their hands up and over the net earlier, while our back row showed a lot of discipline in covering the court around the block."
The Golden Eagles hit .400 (16-2-35) in the opening set, jumping ahead 9-4 before a six-point run behind junior Tessa Medina's serve turned a comfortable advantage into a 15-5 margin. Freshman Chelsea Day put away consecutive kills during the surge and later closed the set with another trio of terminations as JBU rolled to the 25-12 decision.
Day was nearly flawless offensively on the afternoon, finishing with nine kills and one error on 17 swings (.471).
SCU (2-2, 0-2) adjusted in the second set and turned the match into a grind.
Neither side led by more than three points until John Brown moved ahead 21-17, but the visitors answered with four consecutive points to level the set. The Golden Eagles then fought off a 24-23 set point when Carlson delivered a kill, and the teams continued trading points into extras.
SCU earned another opportunity to extend the match with a 26-25 advantage before Carlson again answered with a kill. Junior Federica Ferrari followed with one of her seven kills to push JBU in front, 27-26. After Southwestern Christian tied the set one final time, Ferrari and sophomore Reese Montgomery combined on a block before an SCU attack error gave the hosts a 29-27 victory.
The second set featured 15 ties and six lead changes.
Southwestern Christian threatened again in the third after John Brown opened a 13-7 advantage. SCU erased the entire margin with six unanswered points and eventually took a 17-15 lead, setting up another back-and-forth finish.
JBU answered this time behind a balanced attack. Sophomore Clara Hyke broke a 20-20 tie with a kill, senior Akayla Kador followed with another, and sophomore Olivia Tucker restored a two-point advantage at 23-21. Carlson put the Golden Eagles on match point before Kador finished the sweep with her fourth kill of the afternoon.
Carlson's 14 kills on 40 attempts led a John Brown attack that finished at .179 (48-20-156), while Day, Ferrari and Kador supplied some of the Golden Eagles' most efficient offense. Day hit .471, Kador finished at .429 with four kills on seven attempts and Ferrari hit .286 with seven kills and just one error on 21 swings.
Medina directed the offense with 22 assists while adding nine digs and two service aces. Sophomore Taylor Kosmicki contributed 14 assists, and freshman Chloe Hooper added six.
"Overall, I thought we did a much better job of spreading out our offense, and several players were able to take advantage of those opportunities," Carver added.
Addington's 26 digs led the defensive effort, with junior Mallory Jury adding 11 and Medina nine. Kador, Montgomery and Tucker each participated in three blocks as John Brown finished with 12 block assists and did not commit a blocking error.
The Golden Eagles return to the court on Friday night (Sept. 11) in Waxahachie, Texas, where JBU will take on Nelson (Texas) at 6 p.m. from inside the Sheaffer Center. The match will be streamed live on both the SAC Sports Network and the Urban Edge Network.
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