Golden Eagles sweep road volleyball matches
LANGSTON, Okla. — Improving to 10-5 away from Siloam Springs, the John Brown University volleyball team enjoyed at least 10 different front-row players throwing at least one block in a quick sweep (25-12, 25-20, 25-9) of Langston (Okla.) on Wednesday night (Oct. 12) inside C.F. Gayles Fieldhouse.
The Lions (8-13, 1-11 Sooner Athletic) hit just .009 (24-23-109) – their fifth-worst attack efficiency of the season – while John Brown (16-5, 11-3) received kills from 10 different Golden Eagles in a balanced effort, finishing the night at .280 (39-11-100).
John Brown started slowly, quickly facing a 6-1 hole to open the contest. Three kills from juniors Savanna Riney and Delaney Barnes quickly turned the momentum, spurring the Golden Eagles on a pair of runs — a 6-1 surge to tie the score at seven apiece and then another 12-0 rally that blew open an 8-8 tie.
Four Langston attack errors allowed John Brown to open the second set on an 8-1 run, and the Golden Eagles would never look back. Similarly, a tight 7-1 JBU lead in the third was blown wide open, courtesy of a 17-4 run that saw the hosts hit -.158 (5-11-38) in the final frame.
Riney led all players with nine kills in a match that didn’t feature anyone in double-digit kills.
Sophomore Taylor Golmen added six terminations on 11 swings, and senior Ellie Lampton boasted five. Freshman Madeline Nolan submitted an impressive outing, hitting four kills on seven swings without an error (.571).
Seniors Morgan Fincham and Lauren Cloud, 13 and 12 assists respectively, split duties running the Golden
Eagle offense. Fincham added 11 digs on defense.
In the front row, the Golden Eagles set a season high with five solo blocks – two from sophomore Lilly Ruston – and finished with eight team blocks thrown by 10 different individuals. In the back row, senior Jillian Blackman ended the night with a team-leading 17 digs.
Sophomore Julie Milligan served up four – tying a career high – of John Brown’s eight aces.
Finehika Uhatafe’s six kills led the Lions, while Samantha Clements had to be on alert all night, finishing with 21 digs.
John Brown will now return home for three home matches in four nights, starting with welcoming
College of the Ozarks (Mo.) to Bill George Arena on Wednesday night (Oct. 19) at 7 p.m. The match is JBU’s first nonconference match in Siloam Springs since facing Williams Baptist (Ark.) on March 16, 2021. All three matches on the week will be carried live on the SAC Sports Network.
John Brown 3 Central Christian 0
McPHERSON, Kan. — Up 15-4 in the first set, the Golden Eagles never looked back as the John Brown University volleyball team swept Central Christian (Kan.) for the second time this season on Tuesday, Oct. 11, inside Jerry E. Alexander Arena.
The sweep (25-8, 25-23, 25-20) was the eighth of the season for John Brown and its second of the season over the Tigers (6-18, 1-12) as JBU never trailed on the evening.
Hitting its second-best single-match efficiency of the season, the visitors ended the night at a .364 mark (46-10-99), and limited Central Christian to a .137 effort (30-16-102), powered by six team blocks and 49 digs.
Junior Savanna Riney once again led the offense to the tune of 15 kills, a match high, and a .467 attack mark (15-1-30), while senior Ellie Lampton and sophomore Taylor Golmen each posted errorless efforts with eight and six kills, respectively. Riney finished a double-double with 11 digs and even added a trio of aces.
Senior Lauren Cloud passed out 22 assists and senior Jillian Blackman dug up a match-best 17 digs.
In the front row, Lampton contributed four blocks, and freshman Ella Yarborough added three.