The Harding women's tennis team defeated Henderson State 4-0 in the Great American Conference Tournament semifinals on Friday in Bentonville, to earn a spot in the championship for the fourth time since 2014. The Lady Bisons won the tournament in 2014 but fell in 2017 and 2019. The win was the seventh straight win over the Reddies and the ninth straight win overall for the Lady Bisons (15-2, 6-0).
The Lady Bisons started the match by winning the doubles point for the 14
th straight match.
Romane Britt and
Lindy Carpenter earned their 12
th win of the season with a 6-2 victory at No. 2. All-GAC Second Team honorees
Hana Folse and
Allison Carpenter secured the doubles point with their sixth straight victory at No. 3, winning 6-2. The win was Folse's 69
th career doubles victory, moving her into a tie for fourth all-time in program history.
Allison Carpenter scored the second point of the match for the Lady Bisons with a 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 6. The win was
Allison Carpenter's 11
th of the season and ninth straight sets win.
Lindy Carpenter followed her sister's victory with another straight set win at No. 5, 6-0, 6-3, for her ninth win of the season. Folse clinched the match with her tenth win of the season, and third in a row, with a 6-3, 6-2 victory at No. 4.
The Lady Bisons will face Southeastern Oklahoma State on Saturday at 11 a.m. for the GAC Championship. The Savage Storm have beaten the Lady Bisons both times they have faced off in the GAC Tournament. Harding fell 5-1 in both meetings, including in the 2017 GAC Championship. The Lady Bisons defeated the Savage Storm 4-3 earlier this month, in their only matchup of the season. The winner will claim the GAC's Automatic Qualifier to next month's NCAA Tournament.