Box Score SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. – The Mid-America Christian volleyball continued its split 2020-21 season with its Sooner Athletic Conference opener at John Brown and despite getting off to a strong start, the Evangels fell in four sets, 3-1 on Monday night inside Bill George Arena.

 
SCORE

• John Brown 3, Mid-America Christian 1 (23-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-17)
  • Mid-America Christian (8-7, 0-1 SAC)
  • John Brown (1-0, 1-0 SAC)

 

TOP PERFORMERS

• Hanna Foecker – 23 kills, .316 attack percentage, 8 digs, 3 blocks
• Morgan Van Meir – 43 assists, 9 digs
• Maegan Plunk – 28 digs, 1 service ace

 

MATCH SUMMARY

• Set One
  • John Brown led by as much as three through the first seven rallies, but the Evangels fought back by going on a 4-1 run of their own to tie it up at 6-6 on a kill from Tiana Nihipali.
  • Five rallies later, another Nihipali kill gave MACU the momentum as the Evangels rattled off another 4-1 streak to take its first multi-point lead of the match at 12-10 on Maddie Callicoat's kill.
  • JBU battled back to tie it at 15, but Mid-America Christian was able to force the Golden Eagles into committing some crucial errors before a kill by Desiree Brewer swelled the Evangels' edge to 19-16.
  • The Golden Eagles tallied scores on seven of the next nine rallies to take a late two-point advantage at 23-21, but MACU finished the set strong as back-to-back kills by Callicoat and Hanna Foecker set up a pair of Faith Foutch service aces to close out a 25-23 set one win.
• Set Two
  • Mid-America Christian jumped out to a fast start in the second set as three Foecker kills and a pair of Foutch kills allowed MACU to hold an early 7-3 lead.
  • JBU went on a critical 8-2 run grab to take back a 13-10 lead midway through the set.
  • After keeping it to within two over the next seven rallies, MACU managed to tie it up at 16-all behind a Foecker kill and a Golden Eagles attack error.
  • JBU went on a late surge to get some breathing room at 21-17, but the Evangels closed it to within one on a Nihipali kill and three straight Eagles attack errors.
  • The Golden Eagles closed out the set by taking four of the last five points to secure their first set win of the season, 25-21 to tie the match up at one apiece.
• Set Three
  • The two teams were dead even through the first 10 rallies, but a kill and service ace from Foecker helped the Evangels gain a three-point cushion at 8-5.
  • John Brown tallied three straight to draw the game even at eight, but the Evangels found three straight of their own behind a Callicoat kill and Maegan Plunk service ace to extend the MACU edge back to 11-8.
  • The Golden Eagles refused to go away at the midway point, as JBU fought back to a 13-all tie before retaking the lead off a Brewer miscue in the attack.
  • MACU and JBU battled back and forth with five ties and three lead changes through the next 11 rallies, but the Evangels managed to pull out to a two-point lead at 21-19 on Callicoat's kill and a JBU attack error, prompting the Golden Eagles to call a timeout.
  • JBU took advantage of some crucial Mid-America Christian errors coming out of the break as the Golden Eagles wrapped up the set by taking six of the final seven points, four of which coming on MACU errors to take the lead in the match, 25-22.
• Set Four
  • John Brown captured the early momentum by scoring four of the first five points, but the Evangels managed to keep it to within two points over the next seven rallies as a Foecker kill on the 12^th point of the match brought it to 7-5.
  • The Golden Eagles managed to build their advantage to as much as seven during the midway point of the set as they utilized a 7-3 run to bring to a 15-8 score.
  • After trading the next four points, Foecker helped spur a huge run, notching four kills on five rallies before a dump kill by Morgan Van Meir cut the deficit to 18-15, prompting the Golden Eagles to call a timeout.
  • John Brown scored three straight points coming out of the timeout and didn't allow the Evangels to rally once more as the Golden Eagles picked up their first win of the season by securing the 25-17 set four victory.

 

MATCH NOTES

• Mid-America Christian was outmatched in the attack, scoring just 47 kills on .163 attack percentage for the match while John Brown tallied 54 kills on a .238 attack percentage.
• John Brown was also able to take advantage of some strong serving, scoring 10 aces to only five for the Evangels.
• Hanna Foecker continued to be the centerpiece of the Evangels attack, notching 23 kills and only five errors on 57 attacks for a .316 attack percentage. The effort tied her own second-highest kills mark in a four-set match in the NAIA era, as Foecker now holds three of the top five spots with her 23-kill match against Arlington Baptist during the fall portion of the season and a 22-kill effort against Oklahoma Panhandle State set during the 2019 campaign.
• Junior setter Morgan Van Meir also found herself in the MACU record books at the end of the night, as her 43 assists tied Emily Lynch and Calle Solie for the second-most in a four-set match during the NAIA era.
• Maegan Plunk led the back row with 28 digs, tying the fourth-most in a four-set match for MACU in the NAIA era while turning in a team-high .947 receiving percentage by committing just one reception error in 19 tries.

 

NEXT UP

• Mid-America Christian will be looking to snap its seven match losing streak at home on Wednesday night as the Evangels will host Science & Arts in their SAC home opener. The match is slated for an 8 p.m. start inside the Gaulke Activity Center.