Point Lookout, MO – Returning home from a weekend road trip where they split a pair of matches with Southwestern Christian University and Oklahoma City University, the Lady Cats were looking to avenge an earlier loss to the Golden Eagles of John Brown University. The Lady Cats visited JBU on September 18 and fell 3-1 to the Golden Eagles. An opportunity to even the season series loomed large for the Lady Cats and would be a boost in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings.   

The Golden Eagles jumped on the board for the early lead in set one, but kills by Bailey Chamberlain and Grace Hancock tied the score, 2-2. JBU capitalized on a couple of Lady Cat errors and a service ace to take a 6-3 lead, and the Lady Cats need to stop the string. A JBU service error and a pair of blocks by Abby Chadwell and Brooklyn Crawford evened the score again. A pair of Christa Duffel kills gave the Lady Cats the lead before JBU broke the momentum. Brooklyn Crawford slammed down a kill to provide the answer and the Lady Cats were looking to pull away. After the Lady Cats built an 11-4 advantage, JBU took their first timeout of the set to regroup. JBU took the first point out of the huddle, but a Crawford kill returned the serve to the Lady Cats. A long rally resulted in another Lady Cat point and the lead grew to 13-10. The Golden Eagles continued to attack, but the Lady Cats answered each challenge.  A Bailey Chamberlain kill and block were followed by a Bri Linehan kill and the Lady Cat lead was bumped to 16-11 before the Golden Eagles could stop the run. Bri Linehan quickly answered the point, and the Lady Cats were maintaining the momentum. A JBU error forced their second timeout of the set. A Brooklyn Crawford kill bumped the score to 19-13. A JBU point was answered with another Crawford kill and the Lady Cats were inching to the magic 25-point total. JBU continued to battle but the Lady Cats repeatedly answered. A Bailey Chamberlain kill brought up set point and a Linehan kill gave the Lady Cats the 25-18 win.

Set two began as a tug of war with both teams battling for points. The Lady Cats took their first lead 4-3 and were looking to repeat the set one performance. JBU quickly answered however and put together a 5-0 run. The momentum continued to build for the Golden Eagles and a 10-6 deficit for the Lady Cats was the result. A trio of Brooklyn Crawford kills put the Lady Cats back on top and Grace Hancock slammed down a kill to answer a JBU point, keeping the advantage with the Lady Cats. A pair of Bailey Chamberlain kills maintained the lead, but the Golden Eagles refused to give in. Tied at 17, the intensity began to build. A JBU error and a Crawford kill bumped the lead to 19-17 and JBU took a timeout to regroup. A JBU service error was followed by a Duffel block and a Crawford kill to boost the lead to 22-18. The Golden Eagles took their final timeout of the set as time was running out. JBU scored the first two points out of the huddle before a Grace Hancock kill returned the serve to the Lady Cats. JBU continued to battle and soon cut the lead to 23-22, forcing the Lady Cats to take their first timeout. The tension mounted as JBU scored the first point out of the huddle and a Grace Hancock kill brought up set point. JBU answered with a point and Bri Linehan provided the Lady Cat response with a kill. A JBU error gave the Lady Cats the final point and the 26-24 set win.

Looking for the sweep, the Lady Cats put the first point of set three on the board with a JBU error. With momentum on their side, the Lady Cats were hoping to build an early lead. Kills by Bailey Chamberlain and Bri Linehan gave the Lady Cats a 3-1 advantage, but the Golden Eagles quickly bounced back. An Abby Chadwell kill, a Brooklyn Crawford block, and a JBU error bumped the lead to 6-3 and a Linehan kill added to the total. JBU continued to battle, and the Lady Cats answered. Kills by Brooklyn Crawford and Christa Duffel kept the Lady Cats on top, but JBU slowly chipped away at the lead. Tied at 10, the Golden Eagles took their first lead with a kill and the Lady Cats needed to respond. Chista Duffel slammed a kill down to break the momentum, but the Golden Eagles continued to attack. A Grace Hancock kill was followed by a JBU error, and the Lady Cats were on top, 13-12. Points went back and forth with the Lady Cats maintaining a slim advantage. With the home team on top 17-15, the Golden Eagles took a timeout. A Brooklyn Crawford kill answered a JBU point out of the huddle and the Lady Cats continued to respond to the JBU challenges. JBU tied the score at 20 with a kill and followed with a service ace to force a Lady Cat timeout. Another JBU ace out of the huddle had the Lady Cats on the ropes before a Bri Linehan kill provided a lift. A JBU kill gave them a 23-21 advantage and the Lady Cats took their final timeout to regroup. A Bailey Chamberlain and Abby Chadwell block kept the set alive, and a Brooklyn Crawford kill evened the score at 23, forcing a JBU timeout. JBU scored the first point out of the huddle, but Brooklyn Crawford pounded a kill home to tie the score again. Christ Duffel slammed a kill to put the Lady Cats on top, but JBU was not ready to concede and recorded the next two points. Crawford did it again with a kill to extend the set, but JBU continued to attack. Another Crawford kill tied the score again, but JBU answered then recorded a kill to end the set, 29-27 and extend the match.

After a five-set loss over the weekend, the Lady Cats needed to bounce back against the Golden Eagles. The Lady Cats used a JBU error, and a Chamberlain kill to take an early 2-1 lead, but the Golden Eagles still had the momentum from set three on their side. Points went back and forth in the early going and it appeared set four would be another intense battle. Kills by Bri Linehan and Christa Duffel kept the score close, but JBU held the upper hand. A 3-0 run gave the Golden Eagles some breathing room before a Bailey Chamberlain kill and a JBU error brought the Lady Cats back into contention. A Grace Hancock kill cut the gap and a Bailey Chamberlain slam answered a JBU point. Bri Linehan drove home a kill to cut the deficit to 12-11, but the Golden Eagles responded with a quick two points. A Crawford kill kept the score close, but the Lady Cats were struggling to get over the hump. Christa Duffel and Grace Hancock slammed down a pair of kills to tie the score, but a service error kept the lead on the side of the visitors. Bri Linehan hammered down a pair of kills to tie the score, 19-19 and the Lady Cats needed to find a way to take the lead. An Abby Chadwell kill answered the call and JBU took a timeout with the Lady Cats leading 20-19. A pair of Bri Linehan kills out of the huddle fired up the crowd and John Brown was forced to take their final timeout. The Golden Eagles took the first point out of the huddle and the tension was thick. Errors for each team made it 23-21, Lady Cats, and a JBU kill forced a timeout for the home team. The Lady Cats picked up the first point out of the timeout to bring up match point, but JBU responded to extend the set. With the score sitting at 24-23, Brooklyn Crawford delivered the final kill to give the Lady Cats the 25-23 set win and the 3-1 match win.

Brooklyn Crawford pounded out 18 kills and Bri Linehan and Bailey Chamberlain added 15 and 10 respectively. Kamryn Link and Maddie Michel shared the assist load with Link delivering 24 and Michel handing out 23. Mica Chadwell pulled out 34 digs, Kamryn Link added 14, and Anna Howe contributed 11 in the win.

The Lady Cats return to action Friday night when they host Texas Wesleyan University at 7 PM and again on Saturday when Nelson University visits “The K” at 1 PM.