GameDay: Volleyball in Trimatch Action
SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. (November 4, 2014) -- The Golden Eagles (18-10) will travel to Point Lookout, Mo., this evening to face Williams Baptist (Ark.) and Ozarks (Mo.) in a non-conference triangular in hopes of topping the 20-win mark for the first time since 2012.
JBU is coming off a conference victory over St. Gregory’s (Okla.) on Nov. 1. JBU managed to maneuver past a .094 hitting percentage and picked up a split in Shawnee, Okla., as it took down the Cavaliers in five sets (20-25, 25-16, 25-16, 22-25, 15-12) at the W.P Wood Field House.
For the second time this season, junior outside hitter Audrey Dearien eclipsed 20 kills with a 23-termination effort, a match high, and also completed a double-double with 21 digs. Senior defensive specialist Becca Young turned in a 21-dig effort as well to match Dearien’s match-best output. Sophomore setter Shayna Daniels added onto her service ace total with three and threw around a team-leading 25 assists in the win while freshman teammate Alyssa Arnold chipped in with 18 assists. Junior outside hitter Libby Blasingame was extremely effective when called upon, notching eight kills while hitting .316 percent (8-2-19) on the match.
In the fifth and deciding set, terminations from Vanessa Uhrhahn and Blasingame, coupled with five SGU errors, setup a big rejection by Pugh and Bakke, vaulting the Golden Eagles to a quick 8-3 lead. More visitor errors allowed the Cavaliers to creep all the way back to 10-8, but a pair of terminations from Dearien and junior outside hitter Tiffany Hunnicutt closed out the set and the match for the Golden Eagles. Daniels assisted on the final four kills.
The Cavaliers (6-21, 2-12 SAC) didn’t fare any differently than John Brown on the afternoon, sporting a .093 attack percentage in the loss. Funk led SGU with 16 kills while Maggie Lasater set a match-high 33 assists in the loss. St. Gregory’s has now lost five consecutive matches.
The Golden Eagles have already defeated the host Bobcats (12-12) once this season back on Sept. 13 with a 3-1 victory at Bill George Arena. Ozarks has won five of its previous six matches and will look to even up the season series with John Brown.
Jamie Reaves leads C of O with 268 kills while teammate Jenny Wuerffel has accumulated 228 terminations this season. The Bobcats run a two-setter system with Lindsay Boone and Sarah Kruel as the duo have posted 448 and 405 assists on the year, respectively. Reaves also leads the team with 83 rejections, 21 of the solo variety alongside 62 assists.
Williams Baptist enters tonight’s trimatch with an 18-11 mark this year and has eight of its last 10 outings. Its two losses have come to NCAA II Union (Tenn.) and No. 8 Columbia (Mo.).
A pair of players lead the Eagles in terminations in Kaillie Ralston and Jameea Ward. Ralson has thrown down 233 kills this season while Ward has posted 234. WBC also uses a two-setter system with Jordan Harvey (487 assists) and Taylor Barton (309 assists). Ward’s blocking has landed her a No. 18 ranking in the nation in blocks per set (1.14) and No. 31 in total blocks (115).
The matches will feature live video and stats, courtesy of College of the Ozarks.
