SEARCY – The Harding volleyball team takes a break from Great American Conference action this weekend as they participate in the Washburn Fall Classic in Topeka, Kan. The Lady Bisons will face Missouri Western State and Truman State on Friday and No. 4 Washburn and Northwest Missouri State on Saturday.
Harding (12-4) is coming off a 3-0 conference win over Henderson State on Tuesday. Harding (13-4) had three players that had three service aces in the match – Liv Savage, Mollie Arnold and Lisa Copeland. As a team, HU had 15 aces, which is tied for second-most ever in a Harding match. The Lady Bisons also had 15 aces against Freed-Hardeman in 1997 and Belhaven in 1998. The school record of 16 was set against West Alabama in 2006.
Nine Harding players had a kill and all 11 Lady Bisons had a dig. Junior outside hitter Mollie Arnold led HU with eight kills and 11 digs. Junior defensive specialist Lisa Copeland had a match-high 13 digs. Harding had a season-high .365 hitting percentage.
In the first match of the tournament, the Lady Bisons will face Missouri Western State at 11:30 a.m. The Griffons head into the tournament with a 9-7 record. MWSU has four players that average over two kills per set and also has three players that average over three digs per set. Harding leads the series 3-1.
At 4:30 p.m., on Friday, the Lady Bisons will face Truman State. TSU heads into the tournament with a 12-4 overall record. The Bulldogs have three players that average over three kills per set, led by Allie Brake who averages 3.48 a set. Abby Moser leads the Truman State defense, averaging 4.37 digs per set. Truman State leads the series 4-0.
In the final day of the tournament, Harding will face host team and the fourth ranked Washburn at 11 a.m. WU heads into the tournament with a 14-1 overall record. Their only loss came at No. 1 Nebraska-Kearney last Saturday as Washburn fell 3-1. The Lady Blues have swept their opponent 11 times this season. Washburn is led by Jessica Fey who averages 3.29 kills per set. WU leads the series 6-2. Harding's last win over the Lady Blues came in 2002. HU won 3-0.
Harding will wrap up the tournament against Northwest Missouri State at 3:30 p.m., on Saturday. The Bearcats head into the tournament with a 9-6 overall record. The Bearcats are coming off a 3-0 loss to Truman State last Saturday. Northwest is led by Brooke Bartosh who averages 3.35 kills per set. Northwest Missouri State leads the series 3-1. Harding's only win came in 2003 as the Lady Bisons won 3-0.
Each of Harding's opponents in the tournament, are NCAA Div. II members of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.
Check Hardingsports.com for live stat links for all the matches.
