POINT_LOOKOUT, Mo. - College of the Ozarks (11-6) defeated John Brown (12-8) 3-2 on Tuesday, at Keeter Gym, scoring the final three points of the deciding set after letting a two-set lead slip away. The Lady Cats won 25-19, 25-17, 23-25, 24-26, 15-12, leaving both teams at 8-4 in league play.

Anna Brunner led the Lady Cats with 16 kills, a .387 hitting percentage and six blocks, including a kill and a shared block during the match-ending run. Audrey Riley contributed a triple-double with 15 kills, 23 assists and 12 digs. The balanced attack also received 11 kills apiece from Brinley Watson, Cora Rutledge and Kalli Noell.

The Lady Cats built a 20-12 lead in the opening set before the visitors scored four consecutive points to force a timeout. A kill by Kalli Noell stopped that run, and Anna Brunner eventually finished the set with a kill. The offense was even more productive in the second set, totaling 20 kills and hitting .366. Cora Rutledge capped a three-point run with a kill for a 22-13 advantage, and Audrey Riley delivered the set-ending kill on an assist from Anna Howe.

JBU gained the momentum in the third set, turning a 13-11 deficit into a 16-13 lead with five straight points. Trailing 23-19, the Lady Cats drew within one on two kills by Audrey Riley and another from Brinley Watson. They saved one set point before Olivia Tucker put away the kill that secured the visitors' 25-23 win.

A seven-point run carried the Lady Cats from a 2-1 deficit to an 8-2 lead in the fourth set, but the visitors answered with five straight points. Later, Anna Brunner supplied a kill and a solo block during a four-point surge that ended with a Riley kill for a 19-16 advantage. Cora Rutledge earned match point with a kill at 24-23, but a service error, an opponent kill and an attack error gave the visitors three consecutive points and forced a fifth set.

The Lady Cats trailed 4-1 in the deciding set before fighting back. A combined block by McKenna McClure and Kalli Noell completed a three-point run for their first lead at 8-7. After the score reached 12-12, Anna Brunner broke the tie with a kill assisted by Audrey Riley then teamed with Cora Rutledge for a block. A service ace by Faith Klindworth ended the match.

The Lady Cats finished with advantages of 71-51 in kills, 87-66 in digs and 9-5 in team blocks while outhitting the visitors .232 to .149. Kamryn Link set up 33 assists and added 19 digs, matching Emma Godwin for the team lead in digs. The Lady Cats play next at Oklahoma City on Friday, October 9..