SEARCY, Ark. — Harding's volleyball team rallied from a two-sets-to-one deficit to defeat Crowley's Ridge 3-2 (25-22, 23-25, 25-13, 21-25, 15-8) Saturday, securing its sweep of the Harding Invitational.
Harding improves to 9-2 on the season and Crowley Ridge falls to 3-12.
Jacey Lambert and Rauly Eason were both named to the Harding Invitational All-Tournament team.
The Lady Bisons were led by a balanced offensive attack, with four players in double-figure kills and two players hitting over .500. Jacey Lambert led Harding with 17 kills. Rauly Eason had 16 kills, hit .500 and had six blocks. Ella Drake captured a double-double with 15 kills and 15 digs. Philomina Klotz added 11 kills and led the team hitting .556.
Olivia Wiedower quarterbacked the Harding offense. She had a season-high 58 assists and a career-high 22 digs. Maddie Burrough tied a season-high with 20 digs. Josie Bishop came off the bench and had eight kills and 10 digs.
Set-by-set highlights:
· First Set (Harding 25, Crowley's Ridge 22): The Lady Bisons jumped out to an early 8-5 lead before Crowley's Ridge rallied to tie it at 13. Trailing 19-18, Harding closed the set on a 7-2 run on five kills to win.
· Second Set (Crowley's Ridge 25, Harding 23): Trailing 12-9, Crowley's Ridge went on a 10-3 run on six kills to lead 18-15. The Pioneers didn't allow Harding to tie the set the rest of the way.
· Third Set (Harding 25, Crowley's Ridge 13): Harding dominated the third set, hitting .467. The Lady Bisons took a 18-9 lead and didn't look back.
· Fourth Set (Crowley's Ridge 25, Harding 21): Trailing 12-11, Crowley's Ridge went on a 6-1 run to lead 17-13. Harding didn't get any closer than three as the Pioneers went on to win the set.
· Fifth Set (Harding 15, Crowley's Ridge 8): Harding's offense was nearly flawless, hitting .500 with just one error. With the set tied at five, Harding went on a 5-1 run to lead 10-6. After a Pioneer point, Harding won the set on a 5-1 run on two blocks and two kills.
The Lady Bisons will be back in action Tuesday when it opens Great American Conference play at home against Henderson State. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m., at the Rhodes-Reaves Field House.
