JBU volleyball falls to Texas Wesleyan
■ The Golden Eagles were selected to play in the NAIA National Tournament for the first time in program history.
WAXAHACHIE, Texas — After a blowout win in the second set, the Golden Eagles fell in a narrow third frame before ultimately dropping the fourth in a 3-1 (25-18, 14-25, 25-22, 25-18) loss to No. 24 Texas Wesleyan in the Sooner Athletic Conference tournament semifinals on Friday, Nov. 11, inside the Sheaffer Center on the campus of Southwestern Assemblies of God.
The Golden Eagles (22-9) entered the contest eyeing its first SAC championship match berth since 2008, and with it the league’s second automatic bid to the NAIA National Championships, but a .125 hitting efficiency over the final two sets wasn’t enough to overcome the second-seeded Rams (25-4) as John Brown lost in the semifinal round for the seventh time since 2010.
Three service aces from sophomore Julie Milligan blew open a 13-13 tie in the second set as the Golden Eagles rallied on an 11-1 run to take a 24-14 lead. Junior Savanna Riney ended the frame with a kill, tying the match at one apiece.
Despite hitting a meager .042 (9-7-48) in the third, the Rams stole a narrow win, setting up a fourth period that Wesleyan returned to hitting over .300, similar to its first-set effort.
Ultimately, the John Brown attack couldn’t convert at a high enough rate to make the finals round, finishing the night at .147 (51-26-170).
Riney led all players with 16 terminations on 54 swings and added 11 digs on defense. Sophomore Taylor Golmen hit .455 with 13 kills, while freshman Ella Yarborough added eight kills and three blocks.
Seniors Lauren Cloud and Morgan Fincham nearly split the passing effort evenly, passing out 20 and 19 assists, respectively.
On defense, senior Jillian Blackman racked up 41 digs, a season high, and Milligan contributed 10 in the back row to accompany her career-high six aces from the service line.
John Brown 3, Oklahoma City 2
A lopsided first set, a marathon second frame and an early lead in the final period culminated in an incredible five-set (11-25, 34-32, 25-21, 17-25, 15-7) victory for the John Brown University volleyball program over Oklahoma City on Tuesday night (Nov. 8) in the SAC tournament quarterfinals inside Bill George Arena.
Savanna Riney led all players on offensive with 16 kills, hitting .190 on the night. Ellie Lampton and Taylor Golmen each contributed nine terminations, Callie Mullins produced eight, and Madeline Nolan contributed an important six kills off the bench and hit .333 on the night. As a team, largely due to the difficulties surrounding the first set, the Golden Eagles finished .158 (54-29-158) on the evening.
Lauren Cloud passed out 23 of her 24 assists in the final four sets and 10 digs, while senior Morgan Fincham added 19 helpers.
On defense, senior Jillian Blackman racked up 23 scoops in the back row, and in the front, sophomore Lilly Ruston accounted for six of John Brown’s 16 total blocks.
Up next
John Brown was one of the 48 teams selected to the field for the NAIA National Championships and will head to Nebraska to take on Bellevue (Neb.) at 5 p.m. Saturday.
John Brown is one of four teams in the field qualifying for the tournament for the first time, along with William Jessup (Calif.), Philander Smith (Ark.), Cumberland (Tenn.).