FINALS BOUND
One year after being upset in the first round as a No. 1 seed, Harding has punched its ticket to the Great American Conference volleyball championship.
Behind 13 points from Zoe Hardin, the No.
2 seed Lady Bisons rolled to a 3-0 win over No.
3 seed Oklahoma Baptist Friday at Bank of the Ozarks Arena.
Trailing 23-21, Harding closed the first set on a 4-0 run to win 25-23, withstanding seven points from OBU’s Nicole Fleitman and Mikayla Watson. Taylor Lake recorded 11 kills in the first set while Taylor Mounts had five points and five kills.
Harding never trailed in the second set, withstanding six lead changes before closing on an 8-0 run for a 25-17 win. Emma Reaves dominated the second set for Harding with 5 kills and 5.5 points.
OBU held a 10-5 lead midway through the third set before Harding took control. After tying the score at 13-13, Harding closed the third set on a 12-6 advantage for a 25-19 win to complete the sweep.
Mounts finished with 12 points and 12 kills while Madison Poen added 18 digs. Lake had a game-high 21 digs and Rachel Heussner paced Harding with 41 assists.
Watson led all players with 17 points for OBU, Fleitman and Cadyn Lang each finishing with 10. Kelsi Chavez recorded a team-high 18 digs for OBU, and Hayden Blair and Malia Leatherland each notched 10.
Harding (27-5) will face Arkansas Tech in
the championship at 2 p.m. today. After winning its first GAC tournament match Thursday against Ouachita Baptist, Oklahoma Baptist finished the season with a record of 18-15.
* Defending conference champion Southern Nazarene proved a worthy opponent, but in the end, top-ranked Arkansas Tech wouldn’t be denied.
The undefeated Golden Suns dropped their first set of the tournament before storming back with victories in the third and fourth sets for a 3-1 win Thursday at Bank of the Ozarks Arena.
Clinging to an 11-8 lead early in the fourth set, the Crimson Storm were primed to extend the match until a late Arkansas Tech rally. Following a timeout, the Golden Suns went on a 9-1 run to take control for good.
Southern Nazarene made a late rally to pull within 15-19, but Arkansas Tech closed with a 6-2 run to win 25-17. Arkansas Tech never trailed in the first set, withstanding a late Southern Nazarene comeback bid for a 25-18 win. The Crimson Storm knotted the score at 8-8 early, but never broke through for a lead.
The Golden Suns rode a 14-6 run to a 22-14 advantage before securing the win. Hunter Eshnaur’s seven points and six kills paced Arkansas Tech in the first set, Tabitha Spray chipping in with five points and five kills.
Southern Nazarene evened the score with a 25-21 win in the second set. Trailing 10-8 early, the Crimson Storm came roaring back for a 17-12 advantage late in the set. After Arkansas Tech tied the score at 19-19, Southern Nazarene closed on a 6-2 run for the win.
Bailee Turang filled it up with seven points, five kills and two digs for the Crimson Storm in the second set while Elyse Berlin recorded nine digs.
The Golden Suns got off to another fast start in the third set, holding an early 5-1 lead and a late 17-10 advantage. Southern Nazarene pulled within 15-20 late, but got no closer as Arkansas Tech rolled to a 25-17 win.
Spray finished with 19.5 points and 17 kills while Eshnaur had 16 points, 14 kills and six digs. Turang paced the Crimson Storm with 16.5 points and 14 kills.
Arkansas Tech (34-0) will face No. 2 seed Harding in the championship at 2 p.m. today. Southern Nazarene closes the season with a record of 15-18.