Volleyball Looks to Finish Labor Day Classic Strong
BELLEVUE, Neb. (August 31, 2013) -- After dropping both matches on day one of the Bellevue (Neb.) Labor Day Classic, the Golden Eagles will look to even its record on the weekend and jump back above .500 when it faces Briar Cliff (Iowa) and William Woods (Mo.) on Saturday (Aug. 31) in Bellevue.
John Brown didn't fare well on Friday, falling in both matches to Doane (Neb.) and Dordt (Iowa), facing a sweep at the hands of the Tigers before landing a 3-1 defeat to the Defenders.
John Brown (2-3) didn't play well in the first set, falling quickly to the Tigers, 25-12. A different team showed up, however in the second set, as the Golden Eagles featured a six-point advantage down the stretch. A late run fueled by JBU errors cost the Golden Eagles the second set as Doane nabbed a 29-27 win for winning the third set easily, 25-10.
Against Dordt, John Brown played much better, but the outcome was still the same. The Defenders marched to a 3-1 (22-25, 19-25, 25-17, 21-25) win as the Golden Eagles fell in its third-consecutive game to an opponent receiving votes in the NAIA preseason poll.
Briar Cliff will begin Saturday with a perfect 5-0 on the young 2013 season, sweeping all of its matches, including wins over Saint Mary (Neb.), Dakota State (S.D.), Mayville State (N.D.) and twice against Benedictine (Kan.). The Chargers are led on offense by Monica Boeding who averages 12 kills a match. On the back row, BCU is paced by Amy Frank who averages 4.78 digs per set. As a team, the Chargers rank No. 3 in the nation in kills per game (14.670) and No. 6 in assists per game (13.110).
William Woods enters the day 0-3 after suffering losses to Culver-Stockton (Mo.), Concordia (Neb.) and Baker (Kan.). The Owls are led by Emily Becker's 3.08 kills per set on the offense while Abbie O'Mara 5.33 digs per game paces the WWU defensive effort that lands her No. 27 in the nation in digs per game. William Woods' lone strength seems to be its service as the Owls rank No. 46 in the nation with nearly two service aces per game.
