ADA, Okla. — The Harding volleyball team picked up a 3-1 road victory over East Central on Thursday evening at the Kerr Activities Center, winning set scores of 25-15, 24-26, 25-15, and 25-7.
With the Great American Conference victory, the Lady Bisons improved to 17-4 overall and 7-3 in GAC play, while East Central fell to 8-14 overall and 3-7 in conference action.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1: Harding controlled the opening frame from the start, using a .250 hitting percentage while holding the Tigers to a -.027 mark to take the set 25-15.
Set 2: East Central answered back in a tightly contested set featuring four tie scores and a lead change, edging Harding 26-24 behind a team hitting percentage of .303.
Set 3: The Lady Bisons regained momentum in the third set, committing just three attack errors and hitting .357 to win 25-15.
Set 4: Harding dominated the final frame, using an explosive .600 hitting performance (13 kills, 1 error, 20 attempts) and six service aces to close out the match with a 25-7 set win.
HARDING STAT LEADERS
Kills: Ella Drake led a balanced Harding attack with a team-high 13 kills on 30 attempts (.300 hitting percentage). Melaina Haines, Josie Bishop, and Lauren Demuth each tallied 10 kills.
Assists: Olivia Wiedower directed the offense with a match-high 47 assists while adding 11 digs.
Digs: Philomina Klotz led the back row with 10 digs, while Wiedower (11) and Haines (10) both finished with double-digit dig totals.
Blocks: Lauren Demuth recorded a career-high 12 block assists at the net, while Melaina Haines and Ella Drake each added four total blocks. Demuth's blocks was the most by a Harding player since Zoe Hardin had 13 against Nebraska-Kearney in 2018.
Service Aces: Ella Drake and Mallory Weyand led the Lady Bisons behind the line with three service aces each.
TEAM STATS
Attacking: Harding hit .315 for the match with 55 kills, 14 errors, and 130 total attacks. East Central was held to a .030 hitting percentage (35 kills, 31 errors, 133 attempts).
Serving: The Lady Bisons registered eight service aces compared to four for the Tigers.
The Lady Bisons will be back in action Friday when it travels to Durant, Oklahoma to take Southeastern Oklahoma at 4 p.m.
