Golden Eagles take care of USAO, MACU
Columbia (Mo.) 2, John Brown 0
The John Brown University volleyball team made quick work of Science & Arts (Okla.), taking down the Drovers in straight sets (25-19, 25-15, 25-12) on Saturday afternoon (Sept. 24) inside Bill George Arena.
With the win, John Brown (123, 7-1 Sooner Athletic) not only improved to 4-0 in Siloam Springs this season, but boasts a 12-1 sets won-lost margin at its hospital stomping grounds.
In a well-distributed offensive effort, sophomore Taylor Golmen produced eight kills on 13 swings (.615) and junior Micah Fouts added six terminations on 15 swings (.333).
While the offense took a little while to get moving in the first set, the Golden Eagles’ service effort was on point all afternoon as the hosts launched 13 aces — tying a season-best mark, led by senior Jillian Blackman’s five and aided by four from junior Savanna Riney.
John Brown hit .119 (12-742) in the first set but quickly improved in the second and finished the afternoon with an errorless .406 (13-0-32) effort in the third, ending the match in 80 minutes.
“We started a bit slow in the first set, but I’m proud of our players focus and effort to keep at it and continue building momentum and playing better in each successive set,” head coach Ken Carver said. “We were able to accomplish those things and have the opportunity for all of our players to see playing time in the match.
“We eventually dialed in our serving and our players’ efforts helped to limit USAO’s offense while scoring our team a lot of points from the service line. In addition to our serving, our blocking output rose with each set as well which helped to frustrate the USAO attack. Going 2-0 for the second week in a row in conference play continues to build momentum and confidence for our team as our season progresses.”
The strong front-row defense limited the visiting Drovers (5-8, 1-7) to a .019 attack (23-21-106), led by Golmen’s four block-assists. Fouts added two solo rejections to her four blocks overall, while seven players registered at least one block on the afternoon.
Senior Morgan Fincham passed out 21 assists, and Blackman led all the defensive unit’s effort in the back row with 16 digs.
The Golden Eagles suffered their second-straight 2-0 defeat, this time falling at Alumni Field against No. 18 Columbia (Mo.) on Tuesday, Sept. 20.
The Cougars (4-3-1) scored two goals in a lopsided first half that saw the visitors outshoot John Brown by a 6-1 margin. The hosts pushed back harder in the second half, but Columbia escaped Siloam Springs with its first win ever against the Golden Eagles.
After an initial shot hit the crossbar, the Cougars jumped on top when Jewel Morelan’s headed in a rebound while left all alone in front of freshman Regan Riley for a 1-0 lead in the 26th minute.
Just before the intermission in the 41st minute, Natalie Peng’s service from the right corner flag skipped through the box and caught just enough of the far left post to deflect in, giving Columbia its insurance marker.
Five different Golden Eagles attempted a shot, but it was all Columbia with an 11-5 shooting advantage and a 5-1 margin in shots on goal. The Cougars also attempted one more corner kick than JBU, 7-6.
Riley made a save in the first half, but was tagged with the loss in her collegiate debut. Junior Emily Dobbins relieved Riley in the second half, making a save on Columbia’s lone shot on target in the period.