DENVER -- After a strong statement on the opening day of the Johnson and Wales (Colo.) Invitational on Friday, the John Brown University volleyball team ran into a pair of roadblocks in Montana Western and Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) on the final day Saturday.
But JBU turned could-be losses in wild five-set affairs that saw the Golden Eagles escape undefeated and capture the tournament crown.
John Brown (4-0) was the only team to escape the Mile-High City unblemished, courtesy of two rallies that exceeded most norms of conventional volleyball.
Facing a 2-1 deficit in the first matchup with Montana Western, freshman Carly McKinney helped JBU jump out to a commanding 15-7 lead in the fourth set and, after some help from senior Molli Pugh and freshman Megan Beck, the Golden Eagles knotted the match at 2-2.
One year removed from a winless fifth-set record, the Golden Eagles battled back from a 6-4 deficit to take a 9-8 lead after a pair of Bulldog errors, but the lead-swapping would only start there. Down 13-11, two more UMW miscues and a Beck termination gave JBU a narrow one-point lead.
After Western tied the match, another two leads changed hands until kills from McKinney and sophomore Kennedy Shelstead finally ended the barn-burner, 3-2 (25-23, 23-25, 22-25, 25-15, 18-16).
McKinney and Pugh each posted monster double-doubles, with McKinney notching a match-best 19 kills and 24 digs while Pugh added 16 kills and 12 digs. Junior Beth Brankle scooped up a team-best 25 UMW attack attempts.
Both teams hit below .100 percent in the battle of attrition.
Tired but inspired, the final match came down to another five-set brawl. Perhaps showing fatigue early, Embry-Riddle jumped out to a 2-0 lead, which was more difficult to overcome as JBU tied the game two at 24, only to lose on a pair of errors.
With the third set tied at 19, sophomore Brittany Ayers added a pair of kills, helping the Golden Eagles finish the set on a 6-2 run.
The fourth was littered with 17 ties, but a 30-28 battle was finally won by JBU once Embry-Riddle committed a lethal error and sophomore Bethany Maddox served up the frame-clinching ace.
Again with the match tied 2-2, a quick 4-0 rally helped the Golden Eagles to jump ahead decisively in game five, 8-2. Embry-Riddle stayed close, and down 11-7, it came back to tie the score at 11 after a trio of JBU miscues. John Brown was repaid the favor during the next rally, and more, as the Golden Eagles finally clinched the final set, 15-12, with three of its final four points coming courtesy of Embry-Riddle errors.
The final match scores were 16-25, 24-26, 25-21, 30-28, 15-12. Even more impressively, the Golden Eagles recorded 223 points in just 10 sets and two matches on Saturday.
Although out-hit .183-.158, 34 block-assists, including 10 from Ayers, helped the Golden Eagles remain in contention. McKinney again added a double-double with 16 terminations and 11 digs, while Pugh added 13 kills. Brankle and Maddox each served a quartet of aces and Brankle finished with a team-best 20 digs.
The Golden Eagles will now rest until next Friday, when they travels to Atchison, Kan., to play in the Benedictine (Kan.) Invitational.
JBU will play host Benedictine (Kan.) at 3 p.m. Friday, and it will play twice on Saturday, first against Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.) at 9 a.m. followed by a match against Saint Mary (Kan.) at 1 p.m.
Sports on 08/24/2016