In a match defined by ties and lead changes, it took five full sets for Arkansas Tech to defeat Harding in the Great American Conference volleyball final at Bank of the Ozarks Arena.
The Golden Suns, ranked No. 8 nationally in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll, remained undefeated to take a record of 35-0 into the NCAA Division II tournament.
"Volleyball is really in its infancy stage here," said Arkansas Tech head coach Kristy Bayer. "Less than half the high schools probably even have volleyball. To have a team in the state of Arkansas ranked as high as number eight is a phenomenal accomplishment."
Harding, seeded No. 2 in the conference tournament, forced the top-ranked Golden Suns to earn the 3-2 win.
With 11 ties and seven lead changes in the first two sets, the Lady Bisons held their own as Arkansas Tech took the early 2-0 lead, 25-17, 25-20.
The Lady Bisons took a 5-1 lead early in the third set, but the Golden Suns recovered to keep the game close with nine ties before Harding came out on top 25-21.
Harding again took control early in the fourth set, rolling to a 6-1 lead, but Arkansas Tech forced three ties before the Lady Bisons came away with the 25-20 win.
"We weren't passing very well," Harding head coach Meredith Fear said of the first two sets. "We couldn't get our offense going.
"Defensively, we were doing what we needed to do, but we just couldn't score, earn our own points. We were relying on them making errors, and Tech doesn't make that many errors. By the third and fourth, we were passing better and able to run our offense and convert a little bit better."
Both teams showed their mettle in the final set with the Golden Suns taking the early lead, but Harding would not be denied as it continued to battle, countering and taking a 6-4 lead. Arkansas Tech took a slight lead before Harding jumped ahead for a 10-7 edge, but the Golden Suns used an 8-1 run to secure the 15-11 win.
"I thought the first two sets, our game plan was the serve really aggressive and get them out of system, and it worked," said Bayer. "The first two sets, we kind of just handled them pretty well, and set three and four, Harding played amazing defense.
"We haven't played a team that played defense as well as they did. Our hitters struggled to try to find the kill. It was just two good volleyball teams grinding it out. What it came down to was the last five points, and we got them."
Despite taking Arkansas Tech to five sets for the second time this season, Fear admitted her team was disappointed in the loss.
"We think that's a little bit of a consolation prize," she said, "but we really believed that we could win and that we were going to win. Regardless of how many sets it went, it was going to hurt."
Arkansas Tech was balanced on offense with three players with double-digit kills. Allie Anderson led with 15 kills and four digs, Hunter Eshnaur had 13 kills with seven digs, and ace and an assist, and Tabitha Spray had 12 kills with four aces, two digs and 18 points.
Libero Madison Nagel finished with 34 digs and seven assists.
"The thing about Maddie is she is one of the best liberos in the conference, but she doesn't get a lot of digs and she doesn't get a lot of award recognition because our offense is so good," Bayer said.
"The ball really never comes back over to her. As you can see in a match where we are playing somebody that brings the ball back over, she's huge for us back there. She's like a backboard. She was everywhere."
Amanda Milnick, who was named the tournament MVP, had 47 assists with eight kills and 14 digs for the Golden Suns.
"She's an incredible athlete," Bayer said. "To be a setter and to be as athletic as she is and to have her size and speed and quickness, you don't see that at our level.
"She has come a long way in terms of her setting and her decision-making from last year. She's a difference maker. It's really hard for teams to defend against us when they have Amanda Milnick as a threat."
Milnick admitted while she appreciated the honor, she feels her team helped to get her to where she is.
"It's an honor," she said. "I just go out every game and try my best. If I come out with MVP, it's just another thing I'm really proud of. Honest, I wouldn't have it unless my team was there with me, and they make me a better player every day."
With a 2-0 lead, Milnick said that it was disconcerning to see Harding make a comeback in the third and fourth sets.
"It's always scary when a team comes back and starts putting balls down and making us second-guess," she said. "Harding is a really good team, and we knew we were going to have to fight from the very beginning that we walked on the court.
"I give props to them. They're an amazing team. Our defense was really good, and we did what we needed to do on the court."
Harding was led offensively by Taylor Mounts with 17 kills and 18.5 points. Zoe Hardin and Emma Reeves each added 10 kills, Hardin adding three digs and Reeves two.
Rachel Heussner had 48 assists with 13 digs and two aces.
"She didn't set for us last year, so to step up as a junior and run the offense like she did, she had such a great year," Fear said. "We had a balanced offense, and that was largely due to her. Her decision making as a setter is really great. I couldn't ask for a more coachable, better setter."
Libero Taylor Lake finished with 18 digs with Selena Foster 17.
"She is solid," Fear said of Lake. "She reads the game really well. When you have an offensively powerful team like Tech, those digs look a little bit more spectacular because the ball is coming at you faster, so you have to get there faster."
Harding finished the season with a record of 27-6.
GAC All-Tournament Team
MVP: Amanda Milnick -- Arkansas Tech
Lexie Johnston -- Arkansas Tech
Madison Nagel -- Arkansas Tech
Zoe Hardin -- Harding
Rachel Heussner -- Harding
Mikayla Watson -- Oklahoma Baptist
Makenna Hunter -- Southern Nazarene
Sports on 11/19/2017