Volleyball Faces Ozarks, Tabor at Kansas Wesleyan
SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. (September 13, 2013) -- In the midst of a three-match slide, the Golden Eagles will open up play at the LaQuinta Inn Invitational, hosted by Kansas Wesleyan, with a rematch against Ozarks (Mo.) at 2:00 p.m. before facing Tabor (Kan.) in a 8:00 p.m. match.
John Brown has already faced the Bobcats once before this season, falling in a five-set thriller in Point Lookout, Mo. After falling into a 2-0 deficit, the Golden Eagles were able to rally back to tie the match at two, only to fall in the fifth set as Ozarks (Mo.) handed John Brown its first loss of the season Monday night, 3-2 (20-25, 21-25, 26-24, 25-11, 10-15).
Sophomore Audrey Dearien led all players with 17 kills and posted a team-high 17 digs, clinching her second double-double of the season at the time. Overall, John Brown was only able to hit at a .172 clip, allowing the Bobcats a .201 hitting percentage. Senior Kailey Bain landed a game-high 27 assists while Daniels added 17.
Since that match, JBU has posted a 2-7 record while Ozarks hasn't fared much better, going 3-5.
Jamie Reaves leads the Bobcats in total kills (127), averaging 2.76 strikes per game from the middle position. Ozarks features two passers who have posted almost identical assists. Sarah Kreul has chipped in with 242 assists to date while teammate Lindsay Boone has notched 234. Finally, Hayley Blair's strong presence in the back row has earned her 281 digs in 2013, an average of 6.11 digs per game. Her efforts have landed her No. 2 in the nation, individually, in total digs and No. 7 in the nation in digs per game.
Match two on the day features a tilt with Tabor (Kan.). The Bluejays are currently an impressive 7-2 on the season (2-0 KCAC), including victories over Dordt (Iowa) and Ozarks.
In its most recent match, Tabor landed a 3-1 (22-25, 25-10, 25-21, 25-13) win over Bethel (Kan.) on Wednesday (Sept. 11). After dropping the opening set by three points, the Bluejays responded in overwhelming fashion in game two as Tabor held Bethel to just 10 total points.
Game three saw the Bluejays respond with a four point win before they closed the door on the match with a 12 point win in game four.
Three Bluejays recorded double-digit kills in the match led by freshman Tena Loewen with 15 kills, while seniors Katie Kaufman and Jessie Vogts added 13 and 11 kills respectively. Senior setter Hollister Wolf sparked a strong offensive performance by the Bluejays with 46 assists in the match.
Defensively Tabor was led in the back by senior Amy Jo Maphet with a game-high 17 digs, while Wolf added 11 and Loewen chipped in with 10. The Bluejays also recorded four solo blocks in the match as well.
Tabor, who is receiving votes in the latest Tachikara-NAIA National Rankings, is led by Kaufman and Vogts in the frontcourt. The duo have landed 88 and 86 kills, respectively, which contribute to a .217 hitting percentage, which ranks No. 46 in the nation. In the backcourt, the Bluejays feature two 100-plus dig players in Amy Jo Maphet and Hollister Wolf. Maphet paces the defense with 124 scoops while Wolf has chipped in with 106 to date. Both average well over three digs per game.
Wolf also runs the Tabor offense as the lone setter, notching 296 helpers, landing her at No. 48 in the nation, individually, in assists per game (8.970).
