OKLAHOMA CITY – After wrapping up a four-match road stand with its fourth consecutive victory, the Mid-America Christian volleyball team will start a three-match home stand to close out the 2019 regular season as the Evangels will open the slate against John Brown at 4:30 p.m. on Friday at the Gaulke Activity Center.
WHAT'S AT STAKE?
Mid-America Christian (14-8, 12-5 Sooner Athletic Conference) is currently fighting for the possibility to host its first ever SAC Tournament contest. If the Evangels can finish in the top four of the conference standings by the conclusion of regular season play on Nov. 9, MACU will host a quarterfinal round match. The Evangels are currently fourth in the SAC standings, a half-game ahead of Southwestern Assemblies of God (18-8, 11-5 SAC) and are just a half-game back of John Brown for third in the league standings.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES
John Brown will enter Friday's contest with a 21-7 overall record and a 12-4 mark in SAC play. After dropping a pair of matches the previous week, the Golden Eagles got back on the winning track last week with a pair of three-set sweeps at home against Wayland Baptist (25-19, 25-20, 25-10) and Oklahoma Panhandle State (25-8, 25-17, 25-15).
The JBU attack is led by one of the top attackers in the SAC in Jessica Schultz. The 5-11 middle hitter has 260 kills on a blistering .353 attack percentage, which leads the league by more than six percent. John Brown as a whole has three players with more than 200 kills with junior outside hitter Taylor Glover (204, 2.4 kps) and senior outside hitter Carly McKinney (203, 2.1 kps) also providing strong contributions to the Golden Eagles attack.
The Golden Eagles will feature a pair of setters that will run the offense, led by sophomore Carrie Ciesla, who has 528 assists at 5.6 assists per set. Freshman Morgan Fincham has also contributed to the attacking efforts with 300 assists at a 4.1 aps clip.
Defensively, McKinney leads a balanced back line with a team-high 371 digs at a 3.79 digs per set rate while Schultz provides strength at the net not just in the attack, but on defense as well with a league-best 90 total blocks, averaging 0.9 blocks per set.
HISTORY WITH THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Mid-America Christian will look to put its rocky history with John Brown behind it as the Golden Eagles own a 21-3 record in the all-time series dating back to 2007, which includes a current 13-match win streak.
The Evangels will be seeking their first win over John Brown since Oct. 4, 2012 as MACU was victorious in a five-set thriller (25-17, 26-28, 23-25, 25-18, 15-13) at the Gaulke Activity Center. In their previous meeting this season on Sept. 28, the Evangels struggled in the road contest as the Golden Eagles won in straight sets (25-18, 25-18, 25-17).
FLYING FAITH FOUTCH
Not many can claim to have a 5-3 middle blocker, but the freshman from Tulsa, Okla. has provided a major spark for the Evangels during their four-match win streak. In their most recent win at Science & Arts on Tuesday, Faith Foutch hit for a career-best .444 and recorded a career-high four total blocks in the three-set victory (25-14, 25-13, 25-20). Since an Oct. 11 win at home against Oklahoma Panhandle State, Foutch has recorded 13 blocks, averaging 0.52 blocks per set.
RACKING UP THE RECORDS
In the victory against USAO, senior setter Alexa Bass continued to make her ascent up the MACU career record books. With a pair of service aces, Bass has now tied Jordan Batley for the fourth-most career aces during the NAIA era with 86. The Argyle, Texas product climbed to third in the program's career assist category earlier this season, surpassing Melissa Hoppal's mark of 980. Listed below are some current MACU records to keep an eye on during the final stretch of the season.
Season
· Hannah Focker is currently first in the MACU record book with the most kills per set (4.1) and recently moved up to seventh for kills with 283 on the season. Focker is just 12 kills away from tying Shannon Niemeier for sixth and 28 from breaking into the top five. Focker is also currently eighth for points (322) and is two away from tying Laurel Church for seventh as well as 16.5 from locking up with Niemeier for sixth.
· Alexa Bass moved back into the program's top 10 list for service aces with her 34th against USAO, putting her at 10th during the NAIA era. Bass recorded the second-most aces in program history a season ago with 52. Bass is just one away from moving into a tie for ninth with Shelbi Johnson and five out from drawing into a four-way tie for sixth. Bass is also quickly approaching the program's top 10 list once again for assists, as she is just 63 away from tying Hoppal for 10th. Bass set the sixth-highest mark last season with 696.
· Maegan Plunk is on the cusp of moving back into the program's top 10 for digs again. With 347 digs, Plunk is just 11 away from tying Chelsea Robinson and Christiane Smith for the 10th most during the NAIA era. A year ago, Plunk set the eighth-best mark in the books with 363.
Career
· On top of making marks in the season records, Plunk is also making dents in the career records in just her second season. With 737 career digs, Plunk is currently ninth during the NAIA era and is just five shy of tying Hannah Luedtke for eighth and seven away from matching Jenny Pratt for seventh.
