JACKSON, Tenn. – The Harding volleyball team opened its 2025 campaign Friday at the Union Volleyball Classic. The Lady Bisons fell to Texas A&M 3-2 but defeated Drury 3-1.

Harding moves to 1-1 on the season.

Texas A&M-Kingsville improves to 1-0 and Drury moves to 1-1.

TEXAS A&M-KINGSVILLE MATCH

The Harding volleyball team opened its season with a hard-fought five-set loss to Texas A&M-Kingsville on Friday at the Union Classic. The Lady Bisons were defeated by scores of 25-15, 25-27, 22-25, 25-22, 15-6.

The match recap:

·         First Set (Texas A&M-Kingsville 25, Harding 15): Harding fell behind early as the Javelinas went on a 10-2 run to take a 16-7 lead. Texas A&M-Kingsville used a combination of kills and service aces to win the set 25-15.

·         Second Set (Harding 27, Texas A&M-Kingsville 25): The set was a nail-biter with 13 tie scores and four lead changes. Harding took a late 16-12 lead, but the Javelinas fought back to tie it at 24-all. A kill by Rauly Eason and a Texas A&M-Kingsville attack error secured the 27-25 win for the Lady Bisons.

·         Third Set (Harding 25, Texas A&M-Kingsville 22): Harding carried its momentum into the third, taking a 13-9 lead on seven kills. Texas A&M-Kingsville tied the set at 22, but Harding closed it out with a block from Philomina Klotz for a 25-22 victory.

·         Fourth Set (Texas A&M-Kingsville 25, Harding 22): The Javelinas started strong, taking an 8-6 lead and extending it to 16-10 with a string of kills. Despite a late rally from Harding, the Javelinas held on for a 25-22 win to force a decisive fifth set.

·         Fifth Set (Texas A&M-Kingsville 15, Harding 6): Texas A&M-Kingsville jumped out to a 9-5 lead on eight kills. Harding was unable to recover, as the Javelinas sealed the 15-6 set victory and the match.

Individually for Harding, Jacey Lambert had led the Lady Bisons with 16 kills and a .481 hitting percentage. Setter Olivia Wiedower orchestrated the offense with a match-high 44 assists. On defense, libero Maddie Burrough had a team-high 15 digs.

DRURY MATCH

The Harding volleyball team overcame a first-set loss to defeat Drury 3-1 (18-25, 25-23, 27-25, 25-23) Friday in its second match at the Union Classic.

Harding was led by outside hitter Ella Drake, who delivered a team-high 14 kills and two service aces. Defensive specialist Maddie Burrough anchored the back row with 15 digs and a match-high six aces, including three consecutive aces in the first set that sparked a late run for the Lady Bisons.

Here is a breakdown of each set:

·         First Set (Drury 25, Harding 18): Drury dominated early, taking a 5-0 lead. Harding battled back, cutting the deficit to two points on multiple occasions, including a 3-0 run with three straight aces from Maddie Burrough. However, Drury closed out the set with a kill by Grace Gardner.

·         Second Set (Harding 25, Drury 23): After falling behind 16-13, Harding took a 21-19 lead on a service ace from setter Olivia Wiedower and held on to even the match.

·         Third Set (Harding 27, Drury 25): Trailing 11-6, Harding went on a 14-4 run to take a 20-15 lead. Trailing 25-24, the Lady Bisons got three straight points to win the set 27-25.

·         Fourth Set (Harding 25, Drury 23): Harding took control early, but Drury rallied to tie the set at 11. Up 17-16, the Lady Bisons went on a 4-0 run to lead 21-16. Harding fought off Drury the rest of the set and won 25-23.

Lambert finished with 11 kills and hit .304, while outside hitter Josie Bishop added seven. Wiedower and Carter Fouche combined for 39 assists.

The Panthers out-blocked Harding 10-5, but the Lady Bisons had 11 service aces.

Harding will be back in action Saturday when it faces Arkansas-Fort Smith at 11 a.m., and classic host Union at 3:30 p.m.