The John Brown University Golden Eagles had their work cut out for them as they started the second half of their Sooner Athletic Conference schedule after splitting their first ten conference matches with a 5-5 record.
The second half started with a rematch against Mid-America Christian. The Evangels completed the regular season sweep of the Golden Eagles in a five-set victory on Oct. 8 at Bill George Arena. The win was MACU’s first against JBU inside BGA, and it marked the first time in program history that they’ve scored consecutive victories over the Golden Eagles.
The Golden Eagles have six regular season matches left, four of which will be played on the road. All of the teams that they are scheduled to face (Oklahoma Panhandle State, Wayland Baptist, Southwestern Assemblies of God and Texas Wesleyan) are currently ahead of them in the SAC standings.
Adding to the adversity that JBU has faced, Junior Ellie Lampton and freshman Callie Mullins have been inactive recently due to injuries. In their place, freshmen Julie Milligan and Lilly Ruston have seen more playing time.
“At this point in time, we are attempting to do our best with a lineup that is still drastically impacted by injuries to two of our players who have been major contributors to our team both offensively and defensively,” JBU head volleyball coach Ken Carver said.
The Golden Eagles have had three players hit career milestones recently, with junior Jillian Blackman recording her 1,000th dig on Oct. 2 against Southwestern Assemblies of God, junior Lauren Cloud registering her 1,000th career assist on Oct. 8 against MACU and junior Morgan Fincham getting her 1,000th career assist on Oct. 12 against OCU.
“Their feat, accomplished in less than three full seasons of play, definitely speaks to the talent and abilities of each of them,” Carver said.
JBU’s next test will be their second match of the season against Oklahoma Panhandle State. The Golden Eagles return to Goodwell on Friday, Oct. 22, and Carver expects a tough battle.
“OPSU provides us the opportunity to move up a spot in the rankings and playoff seedings with a second win against them—that should be high motivation enough,” Carver said.
Meanwhile, the junior varsity team will conclude their season this week. Much like the varsity team, they’ve faced a hard schedule, and wins have been tougher to come by this fall. Going into the homestretch of their season, the team has a 4-7 record.
“Julia Dinwiddie has been solid in the middle all season. Grace Barfknecht has stepped into the libero position Erin Mullins has been coming on strong as our MB2. When she connects with the setters, the ball goes down hard,” head coach Steve Brankle said.
The Golden Eagles have also seen a bit of momentum swing their way as of late, as the team took Oklahoma Wesleyan to five sets in Bartlesville, Oklahoma on Oct. 14 and registered 21 service aces in the process. They followed that with a four-set win against Ozark Christian on Oct. 16, making them 4-0 all-time against the Ambassadors. To conclude their season, they’ll play four matches on Friday, Oct. 22 and Saturday, Oct. 23, taking on Fort Scott, Ottawa, Coffeyville and Neosho County in Chanute, Kansas.