SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. - College of the Ozarks pushed John Brown through five sets Tuesday before falling 21-25, 25-15, 26-24, 21-25, 15-10 at Bill George Arena. The Lady Cats won the opening set and rallied repeatedly throughout the match, but the Golden Eagles claimed five of the final six points in the deciding set. College of the Ozarks moved to 7-5 overall and 4-3 in the Sooner Athletic Conference.

The Lady Cats established their blocking presence early. Consecutive blocks involving Anna Brunner, Cora Rutledge and McKenna McClure completed a three-point run that gave College of the Ozarks an 18-11 advantage in the first set. John Brown cut into the margin, but Brunner delivered the set-ending kill for a 25-21 victory. The Golden Eagles answered in the second set, taking control on the way to a 25-15 win that evened the match.

College of the Ozarks faced another early deficit in the third, trailing 7-1 before scoring six straight points. Brinley Watson and Brunner combined for a block, Audrey Riley served two aces, and McClure added a kill during the run. The closing stretch featured several lead changes, with Kamryn Link putting away a kill for a 24-23 Lady Cats lead. John Brown responded with three consecutive points, ending the set on Clara Hyke's kill to take it 26-24.

The Lady Cats extended the match with a strong finish in the fourth. Rutledge's kill, Emma Godwin's service ace and a John Brown attack error broke a 15-15 tie and put College of the Ozarks ahead 18-15. Riley later served an ace on set point to complete the 25-21 win. In the fifth, the Lady Cats fell behind 7-1 and later trailed 10-4 before mounting one more rally. Kills by Brunner and Rutledge helped fuel a five-point run during Godwin's service turn, cutting the deficit to 10-9.

Kalli Noell's kill brought College of the Ozarks within 12-10, but John Brown scored the last three points. Tessa Medina served consecutive aces to close the match. Watson led the Lady Cats with 12 kills and a .244 hitting percentage. Riley contributed 19 assists, six aces, 11 digs, five kills and three block assists, while Link finished with 17 assists and 13 digs. Godwin collected a team-high 19 digs, and Brunner recorded 10 block assists.

College of the Ozarks finished with 48 kills, 78 digs, 11 aces and 12 blocks, holding a 12-4 advantage in total blocks. John Brown recorded 63 kills and hit .164 to improve to 8-7 overall and 4-3 in conference play. The Lady Cats continue their road schedule Friday, September 25 with a 6 p.m. match at Science & Arts (Okla.).