PLAINVIEW, Texas — Wayland Baptist Volleyball battled through four competitive sets Saturday afternoon but came up short against John Brown University, falling 3-1 (24-26, 18-25, 25-19, 21-25) inside the Hutcherson Center. The loss moved the Pioneers to 15-10 overall and 11-6 in Sooner Athletic Conference play.
Coming off a straight-set victory over College of the Ozarks on Friday evening, Wayland looked to carry that momentum into Saturday's conference matchup. The Pioneers opened the match with an efficient offensive performance, recording 14 kills while committing just two attacking errors for a .293 hitting percentage. Despite the strong start, John Brown edged Wayland 26-24 in a tightly contested opening set.
The Pioneers continued to find offensive opportunities in the second set, recording another 14 kills. However, 10 attacking errors proved costly as Wayland's hitting percentage dropped to .111. John Brown capitalized on the mistakes and pulled away for a 25-18 victory, taking a two-set advantage.
Facing a potential sweep, Wayland responded with its best offensive performance of the afternoon in the third set. The Pioneers recorded 16 kills while committing just two attacking errors, hitting an impressive .359 as a team. The improved offensive execution helped Wayland secure a 25-19 victory and extend the match.
The Pioneers looked to carry that momentum into the fourth set, but John Brown answered with 19 kills while hitting .286. Wayland struggled to find the same offensive rhythm it displayed in the previous frame, recording eight kills and hitting .143. The Golden Eagles closed out the match with a 25-21 victory to secure the four-set win.
Sevval Aslan led the Pioneer offense with a team-high 13 kills, while Taisiia Kalchenko followed with 11. Brooklyn Bundy added seven kills and led Wayland at the net with three blocks.
Martyna Lewinska directed the Pioneer offense with a team-high 24 assists, while Ana Zink contributed 11 assists and two service aces. Chloe Gray added nine assists to help Wayland finish with 50 assists as a team.
Defensively, Milena Alliot-Maslankiewicz led the Pioneers with 18 digs, while Deniz Yileri contributed 12 and Aubrie Sierra added nine.
Wayland finished the afternoon with 52 kills, 50 assists, five service aces and 64 digs while hitting .232 as a team. Despite finishing with a higher hitting percentage than John Brown's .209, the Pioneers were unable to overcome the Golden Eagles' 58 kills.
Head Coach Lucie Mahelova emphasized the importance of consistency throughout an entire weekend of conference competition while recognizing her team's effort to battle back.
"We need to find a way to play an entire weekend. We had a great game yesterday, but we didn't have much today. I am proud that they gave effort to come back; it was just a little too late," Mahelova said.
The loss split Wayland's Homecoming weekend matches after Friday's victory over College of the Ozarks. With the regular season winding down, the Pioneers will look to regroup and find greater consistency as they continue their push through the final stretch of Sooner Athletic Conference play.
