JBU volleyball picks up three wins
From JBU Sports Information
The league’s leading hitter paced the offense which hit .250 on the afternoon, and the John Brown University volleyball squad swept past Oklahoma Panhandle State (25-22, 25-20, 25-23) and continued its streak inside Bill George Arena on Saturday, Oct. 22.
Junior Savanna Riney led all players with 17 kills on 34 attacks (.412) and added 16 digs for her 15th double-double of the season, and the Golden Eagle (19-5, 13-3 Sooner Athletic) offense hummed at a nice pace of .250 (52-16-144) to extend its winning streak to seven overall and to nine in Siloam Springs this season.
Six different players recorded at least four terminations for the hosts, including nine from sophomore Taylor Golmen (.381), and six apiece from senior Ellie Lampton and sophomore Lilly Ruston. Ruston also posted three blockassists — as did freshman Ella Yarborough — helping JBU finish with 5.0 team blocks on the afternoon.
Senior Lauren Cloud followed up a career high from the previous night with 25 assists, while counterpart senior Morgan Fincham added 19. Senior Jillian Blackman flirted with 30 digs, but finished with 28 — the 10th time she’s crossed the 20-dig mark this season.
The Golden Eagles now embark on a three-match road trip, starting in Chickasha, Okla., when John Brown faces Science & Arts (Okla.) on Friday evening, Oct. 28.
John Brown 3, Wayland Baptist 2
In what could only be described as a battle of attrition, the Golden Eagles were pushed to seven match points in the fifth and deciding set until freshman Madeline Nolan’s terminations ended a match that went the distance and more, sending the John Brown University volleyball team to a 3-2 (18-25, 25-12, 24-26, 2522, 21-19) victory over Wayland Baptist (Texas) on Friday evening (Oct. 21) inside Bill George Arena.
A wild fifth set featured 15 ties and six lead changes — 13 lead swaps in the last three sets — until back-to-back kills from sophomore Taylor Golmen and Nolan ended the match that lasted 2:22.
On a night that saw John Brown record 39 more terminations than the visitors, five Golden Eagles finished with double-digit terminations, led by senior Ellie Lampton’s 15 kills on 49 swings (.224). Junior Savanna Riney added 14 terminations, while junior Delaney Barnes and Golmen each contributed 13. Sophomore Callie Mullins rounded out the group with 10.
The Golden Eagles featured four double-digit performances as Riney posted 23 digs to accompany her offensive output, senior Jillian Blackman tied a career high with 10 assists to join her 33 digs in the back row and senior Morgan Fincham produced 27 assists and 10 digs.
Senior Lauren Cloud, the primary driver of the Sooner Athletic-leading offense that finished .198 (84-36-243) on the night, posted 21 digs and 42 assists — both career-best marks, as she passed out 10 more helpers than her previous career high set in the first match of the season.
The back-row defense came up with 131 digs in totality — a number not seen since the exact number of scoops recorded in a four-set loss to Wayland Baptist on Nov. 12, 2010.
John Brown 3, College of the Ozarks 0
The John Brown University volleyball team swept (25-12, 25-12, 25-13) past College of the Ozarks (Mo.) on Wednesday
night, Oct. 19, inside Bill George Arena.
The Golden Eagles tied a season high with 11.0 team blocks and limited the visiting Bobcats (16-12) to a mere .034 (22-19-89) hitting on the night. JBU responded with a seasonbest .435 (43-6-85) effort in the front row.
Junior Savanna Riney led JBU with 12 kills on 19 swings (.474), while sophomore Taylor Golmen also figured in doubledigit termination territory with 10 kills on 15 swings (.667). Off the bench, sophomore Lilly Ruston handed in a fine outing with six terminations on 12 attempts (.417) and freshman Madeline Nolan put down five of seven attempts (.714) on the night.
Senior Lauren Cloud dished out 26 of John Brown’s 40 helpers, and added three of JBU’s nine service aces, as did Julie Milligan.
On defense, eight different Golden Eagles earned at least a block, but Riney’s five blockassists finished as the team leader. Golmen and junior Micah Fouts each added four, and freshman Ella Yarborough added two helpers and a solo rejection. In the back row, Milligan accounted for 11 of the 42 digs the Golden Eagles needed to win — its second fewest digs in a victory this season.