No. 2 Harding dominated three of four sets from the start to defeat Southwestern Oklahoma State and advance to the semifinals of the Great American Conference volleyball tournament against No. 3 Oklahoma Baptist today at 3:30 p.m.
Harding (26-5) trailed only two times in the first set, rolling to a 25-12 win, and it never trailed in the second on the way to a 25-17 win in the second.
SW Oklahoma State (13-20) took control in the third set, rolling to an 8-3 lead before Harding staged a comeback to take an 11-10 lead. Both teams traded service until the Bulldogs took a 23-20 lead on their way to a 25-23 win.
"We had a little bit of emotional third," said SWOSU head coach Josh Collins. "I think we kind of caught them falling back on their heels a little bit. Bottom line is, Harding is a very talented team, and they're very well-coached."
Harding recovered quickly in the fourth set, allowing only one tie, 2-2, before capitalizing on a 5-point run to go up 9-3. Another five-point run made it 19-7 as the Lady Bison rolled to a 25-13 win.
"It went well," said Harding head coach Meredith Fear. "The last two years, the first round of the conference tournament has plagued us a little bit, so we're excited to get a win, no matter what. They jumped out on us in the third and made some good changes that we had to adjust to, but I think overall we played a pretty consistent game."
Zoe Hardin had 12 kills with two digs, Rachel Heussner had 48 assists with 17 digs and one kill and Taylor Mounts had 11 kills with six digs.
"She's been getting solidly 10-12 assists per set," Fear said of Heussner. "That's when we're at our best when we're passing well, and we can move the ball around to a lot of different people. She did a really good job of that again today."
Taylor Lake had 22 digs to lead the defense for Harding.
"She's good," Fear said. "I feel like she's one of, I used to say one of the most under-rated or underappreciated liberos in the conference. She did get all-conference honorable mention, so that's great for her. Because she is behind our pretty big block, she sometimes doesn't get the opportunities, but she has a great touch on the ball. She has great hustle."
Despite the outcome, Collins was proud of his team's performance.
"I think our kids played tough and hard," he said. "We were a little outmatched offensively. We found a way to win that third set, and I couldn't be more proud of my kids."
Sports on 11/17/2017