SEARCY, Ark. — The Harding Lady Bisons got a vital victory at home Friday night, defeating Oklahoma Baptist 3-1 (25-23, 24-26, 25-17, 25-18) in a Great American Conference matchup at the Rhodes-Reaves Field House.
The victory moved Harding's record to 14-3 overall and 5-1 in the GAC, pulling them into a tie with the Oklahoma Baptist (13-5, 5-1 GAC) for second place in the conference standings. Both teams are trailing Ouachita Baptist.
Harding's attack was distributed across four players who reached double-digit kills. Josie Bishop led Harding with 15 kills. Jacey Lambert added 14 and Ella Drake and Philomina Klotz each had 13. Setter Olivia Wiedower piloted the offense with 54 assists. It was the third time this season Wiedower has recorded 50 or more assists in a match. Wiedower and Bishop both captured a double-double with Wiedower having 13 digs and Bishop having 12.
The Lady Bisons needed the balanced attack to overcome a 17-kill performance from Oklahoma Baptist's Rylee Unruh.
SET HIGHLIGHTS
Set 1 (Harding 25, Okla. Baptist 23): Harding opened with a 4-0 run, highlighted by a Wiedower service ace and kills from Klotz and Lambert. Oklahoma Baptist fought back to tie it at 13 before a seesaw battle ensued. The set featured six tie scores and four lead changes. Down 23-22, Harding had a two kills a block to win 25-23. Harding had 16 kills in the set.
Set 2 (Okla. Baptist 26, Harding 24): Trialing 8-5, Oklahoma Baptist went on a 6-0 run on three blocks and two kills to lead 11-8. Tied at 24, Oklahoma Baptist had a kill and block to win the set 26-24. Harding had 17 kills in the set but had eight attack errors. Oklahoma Baptist only had four attack errors in the set.
Set 3 (Harding 25, Okla. Baptist 17): Harding's service game took over. Fouche landed back-to-back aces as the Lady Bisons jumped out to a 10-4 lead. Though Oklahoma Baptist briefly cut the lead to four, Harding maintained control behind consistent hitting and clutch kills. The Lady Bisons hit a match-best .312 in the frame, closing it out on a Bishop kill for the 25-17 win. Harding forced Oklahoma Baptist to hit .097 in the set.
Set 4 (Harding 25, Okla. Baptist 18): With the match on the line, the Lady Bisons found another gear. Trailing 17-15, Harding closed the set on a 10-1 run on six kills. Klotz finished the night with a final kill, securing the 25-18 set victory and the 3-1 match win.
Defensively, Harding was led by Carter Fouche who had 18 digs, while Maddie Burrough added 15.
The team's service attack was strong throughout, totaling 12 aces, including four from Fouche. It was the seventh time this season Harding has a recorded 10 or more aces in a match.
Harding will return to the court Saturday as it hosts Southern Nazarene at 1 p.m.
