SEARCY – The Harding volleyball team is set to play Ouachita Baptist at 7:30 p.m., in the first round of the Great American Conference Tournament on Thursday in Hot Springs, Ark.. The Lady Bisons head into the tournament as the No. 4 seed after going 10-4 in conference play this season.
HARDING
The Lady Bisons will be looking for their second GAC Tournament title this weekend. Harding won it in 2012 after it hosting the tournament in Searcy. The Lady Bisons hold a 7-2 record in the GAC Tournament with both of their losses coming against Arkansas Tech in the Finals.
Harding (19-8) will be the No. 4 seed in its conference tournament for the first time since it joined the NCAA in 1997. In the GAC Tournament, Lady Bisons have been the No. 1 seed twice and the No. 2 seed once.
Harding will be looking for its 20th win on Thursday. It would be the third straight year the Lady Bisons have won 20 or more matches in a season. Since joining the NCAA in 1997, Harding has had 15 seasons they have won over 20 matches.
Harding is coming off a 3-1 loss at Ouachita Baptist last Thursday in its final regular season match. The Lady Bisons were led by senior outside hitter Marindia Turner who captured a double-double with 14 kills and 10 digs. Senior middle blocker Liv Savage had 13 kills and five blocks for Harding.
The Lady Bisons are led on the season by Turner who averages 2.99 kills per set ranking ninth in the GAC. She is 10 kills away from 300 on the season and four away from 900 in her career.
Harding ranks second in the GAC in hitting percentage (.214) and has three players that rank in the top 10. Sophomore middle blocker Sara Smith ranks second, hitting .302. Savage ranks sixth, hitting .283 and senior setter Taryn Eubank ranks seventh, hitting .281.
Eubank, who has been battling an injury, ranks third in the GAC in assists averaging 10.09 per set. She has had 16 double-doubles this season. Against Southern Arkansas in Searcy, Eubank was one dig away from getting a triple-double. She had 10 kills, 29 assists and nine digs. Eubank needs eight assists to become the fourth player at Harding to have 3,000 career assists.
Savage ranks fourth in the GAC blocks, averaging 1.12 per set. She had a career-high 12 blocks against Arkansas Tech in Searcy. Savage needs four blocks to get to 350 in her career. She also ranks third in the GAC in service aces, averaging 0.46 per set. Savage had over four a match three times season and had five at Northwestern Oklahoma.
Sophomore defensive specialist Anna Leigh Cargile leads the Harding defense ranking seventh in the GAC in digs, averaging 4.33 per set. She has had over 10 digs in a match 22 times this season and has had over 20 digs six times, including a career-high 28 at Arkansas Tech. Cargile needs 19 more digs to get to 500 in her career.
As a team, Harding ranks first in the GAC in digs averaging 18.21 per set. The Lady Bisons rank second in kills (13.19), assists (12.11) and hitting percentage (.214).
Harding is coached by Meredith Fear who is in her third season and has a 74-22 record.
OUACHITA BAPTIST
Ouachita Baptist heads into the match with a 16-9 overall record and will be the No. 5 seed in the tournament after going 7-7 in the GAC.
The Tigers are coming off a 3-1 win over Harding. Ouachita Baptist was led by Abby Pickett and Kori Bullard who each had 15 kills. Ashley Wake led the defense with 26 digs.
The Tigers are 1-1 on a neutral floor this season. Ouachita Baptist fell to Southwest Baptist 3-2 to open the season and then defeated Trevecca Nazarene 3-0.
Ouachita Baptist is led on the season by Pickett who averages 2.33 kills per set. The defense is led by sophomore defensive specialist Ashley Wake who averages 4.86 digs per set.
The Tigers are coached by Danny Prescott.
SERIES
Harding leads the series between the two teams 53-23.
When the teams met in Searcy earlier this season, Harding won 3-0 (25-16, 25-19, 25-13). Liv Savage led the Lady Bisons with 13 kills and six blocks. Molly Howard also finished in double figure kills with 10. Anna Leigh Cargile led the defense with 16 digs.
Harding is 35-3 in its NCAA era against Ouachita Baptist and are 2-0 at a neutral site. The Lady Bisons defeated the Tigers 3-2 last year in the semifinals of last year's GAC Tournament. Liv Savage had 18 kills and four blocks for Harding and Marindia Turner had 15 kills and six digs.
