November 1, 2022
Siloam Spring, AR: The undefeated No. 8 Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) Lady Lions volleyball team traveled to face John Brown University (JBU) Flying Eagles for their final matchup of the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) regular season in Siloam Spring, Arkansas, in the Bill George Arena. The Lady Lions would be required to perform well to protect their hopes of finishing the SAC regular season with a perfect record because John Brown came into the game as a team with one of the top three winning percentages in the SAC.
After trailing by two sets, The Lady Lions (29-0, 20-0) smacked JBU in five fiery sets, 25-23, 25-22, 25-16, 25-19, and 15-10, to complete their sweep of all of their SAC opponents in the regular season.
Lion Review
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The Lady Lions started the game having to shake off their championship celebration rust. The first six points of set one went to the JBU Flying Eagles. They collected scores from kills, service aces, and block errors.
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Ava Myers would score the Lion's first aggressive points not collected by error. Lilly Hanna would also crush a kill.
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The Lions would close the gap, but the point differential would give JBU enough cushion to win the first set.
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Also, going to JBU would be the second set. In the second set, the Lady Lions played more competitively and only permitted the Flying Eagles to win the set by three points.
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The Lady Lions would exhibit the genuine qualities of a championship-level squad when they found themselves pushed into an uncomfortable
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The star defensive player Tessa Glick then launched a serving masterclass, capturing the match with an astonishing eight total service aces. Together, Ava Myers and Lindi Boling would have four aces in the service, for a total of eight.
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The SAGU team turned the match's tide with their composure and leadership.
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With superior net protection, Karena Tipton and Lilly Hanna would also help change the tide in the Lady Lions' favor.
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SAGU would pull together two incredible team victories to force a fifth and decisive set.
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The Lady Lions would ultimately demonstrate why they were awarded the top seed for the SAC tournament. Riley Burcham was outstanding for SAGU, finding her teammates when they were open and racking up a game-high 45 assists.
More from Moore:
"Down two sets to zero. I'm very proud of these kids and their tenacity. No, quit, never say die, it ain't over til it's over… many other clichés could be said here. But guts is what it took to come back and win the next three sets to win number 29. Ava Myers may have played the best collegiate match of her four-year career. 18 kills with a .293 hitting percentage, 4 serving aces, one solo block, four assist blocks, and seven digs. As we look at this match, so many kids stepped up and played so well. Now we turn our attention to Science and Arts and the SAC tournament." SAGU Head Volleyball Coach Hank Moore said.
The Next Step
Next up for the SAGU, Lady Lions will aim to add another championship to their historic season in the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament that they will host beginning Tuesday, November 8th.
As a leading Christian university, SAGU educates and prepares individuals who want to serve Christ and others. SAGU helps students discover and develop their God-given callings in a Spirit-empowered, learning community. We believe in affordable tuition, made possible in part through the financial support of donors who embrace the mission of SAGU and the importance of affordable, accredited programs to train Christians for leadership in ministry, business, education, and service. Most majors are available in-person in Waxahachie, TX, and online through a wide range of associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees.
