The John Brown University volleyball team wrapped up a three-set sweep (25-19, 25-17, 25-16) against Texas Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon to complete a four-match homestand at Bill George Arena.
The Golden Eagles (9-3, 3-1 Sooner Athletic) offense was paced by senior Jessica Schultz, who finished the contest with 10 kills on a .500 attack clip, and by senior Carly McKinney's eight-kill, 10-dig outing. Junior Taylor Glover and senior Kinzee Mayo also chipped in with seven terminations each.
Texas Wesleyan (6-5, 2-1) absorbed its first loss of the SAC schedule, and was limited to a .147 (31-16-102) attack effort. John Brown responded with a strong offensive showing, hitting at .327 (44-12-98), including eight service aces -- three from sophomore Carrie Ciesla and another pair from McKinney and freshman Jillian Blackman.
A pair of kills from McKinney and Mayo helped the hosts turn a narrow 10-9 lead in the first set into an 18-13 advantage. Glover finished the first set where she left off Friday night against Southwestern Assemblies of God, contributing five terminations as JBU held the Rams to a .088 attack clip in the set.
The second set featured six early ties and a pair of lead changes, but a McKinney spike and Mayo's termination handed John Brown the 15-13 lead, and for good. Three Megan Beck terminations down the stretch led John Brown to a 2-0 lead, helped by six Wesleyan attacking errors in the frame.
John Brown held its most impressive offensive output until the final set. The hosts posted a .500 (15-2-26) in the third set, powered by Schultz's four kills and .667 (4-0-6) effort. With Ciesla serving, the setter launched a pair of aces and behind another pair of kills from Glover turned a narrow 13-10 score into a 19-10 lead as JBU ran away with the final set.
"I am extremely proud of how our team came into this afternoon's match and played with such focus and energy after our demanding five-set victory over SAGU (Friday) night," said head coach Ken Carver. "It would have been very easy for our team to come out a little flat after our win last night. However, the exact opposite happened, and our win (Friday) night energized our team and we came out and played one of our best and most complete matches of the season.
"It has been several years since we've been able to get back-to-back wins against SAGU and Texas Wesleyan, so these two wins will prove critical as we progress through the remainder of the first round of conference play. Great weekend for our team, and we will look to carry that momentum forward as we get back on the road next week."
Ciesla passed out a team-high 19 assists to accompany six digs, while freshman Morgan Fincham added 11 helpers.
Defensively, junior Jaden Williams posted a trio of block-assists, and five kills, while the JBU defense limited the Rams to just three aces on the afternoon.
The Golden Eagles will take a long road trip next weekend as they look to help Carver capture his 300th career victory. JBU will take on Oklahoma Panhandle State at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, before facing Wayland Baptist in west Texas on Saturday evening to complete the longest road trip of the conference schedule.
Sports on 09/18/2019