SILOAM SPRINGS, ARK. - The Oklahoma City volleyball team went into Bill George Arena at John Brown on Saturday and dropped the contest in four sets as Ruby Kelley posted her second straight double-double. 

John Brown 3, Oklahoma City 1

Set 1: 22-25
Set 2: 27-25
Set 3: 21-25
Set 4: 18-25

STAT OF THE GAME: Jaiden Downey notched double-digit assists for the third straight match and tabbed a new career-high with 20 assists on Saturday.

THE RUNDOWN

Set One
Trailing 4-1 at the start, Oklahoma City strung together a 5-1 run on kills by Maddie Edwards and Bailey Lowder helping put OCU in front at 6-5. Tied up at 9, John Brown took off with a 5-1 run of their own before going on to score five straight and take a 17-10 lead. Oklahoma City was able to claw its way back as Edwards provided another kill while Ruby Kelley added one of her own cutting into the Golden Eagle lead making it a one point game. After tying things up 20-20, John Brown took off once again to finish up the first set with four consecutive points going on to win 25-22.

Set Two
In the second set, OCU opened with a 3-1 lead on kills by Kelley and Erin Mack along with an ace by Jaiden Downey before John Brown rattled off five in a row taking a 6-3 lead. The set went back and forth as the two teams traded leads until John Brown took its largest lead of the set at 23-19. Refusing to go away, Oklahoma City went off for five straight points on a kill and ace by Kelley, a kill from Grace Smallwood as well as Emma Nickerson who gave OCU the lead at 24-23. As JBU scored the next two points, it was OCU again who came right back three in a row as Edwards put the set away with a kill to win 27-25. 

Set Three
After Kelley put the Stars up 2-0 out of the gate, John Brown went on to put together an 8-1 run eventually growing its lead out to 11-5. The Golden Eagles did not stop there reaching their largest lead of the set at 17-9. Once again, here came the Stars working their way back with a 7-1 run as Natalie Adams delivered back-to-back aces while Kelley and Rylee Steward added kills to bring the deficit to just three.The closest Oklahoma City could get was within two as John Brown scored four straight and closed out set three with a 25-21 victory. 

Set Four
JBU scored the first point of the fourth set and never looked back. Oklahoma City cut the Golden Eagle lead down to one on four occasions but could not tie or take the lead at any point. Emma Nickerson notched six kills in the fourth set however it would not be enough to slow down John Brown as the Golden Eagles wrapped things up with a 25-18 result to win the match.


GAME NOTES

• Ruby Kelley posted her second straight double-double with 13 kills and a season-high 18 digs. Saturday';s double-double was her 24th of her career.
• Joeci Hunt came one dig away from tying a career-high as Hunt came away with a team-high total of 21 while dishing three assists.
• Freshman Grace Smallwood came away with nine kills and posted her second consecutive game with 18 digs which stands as a season-high. Smallwood leads the team with 100 digs.
• Senior Emma Nickerson had a big game with a season-high nine kills while also having a season-best two blocks. 
• Natalie Adams delivered her second straight double-double as she did so on Friday night against College of the Ozarks. Adams went for 18 assists being the seventh time in eight games she has gone for double-digits while putting up double-digit digs for the second time this season with 10.
• Oklahoma City set a new season-high with 94 digs surpassing its previous total of 83 set on Friday against College of the Ozarks. 

COMING UP
Oklahoma City will pick up play on Friday night for the first time in its home building in 2024. The Stars will take on Wayland Baptist looking for the 19th straight home-opener victory at 6 PM.

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