ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — The Harding volleyball team rallied from a 2-1 match deficit and dominated the fifth set to secure a 3-2 victory (23-25, 25-21, 22-25, 25-19, 15-6) over Ouachita Baptist on Thursday night at the Sturgis Physical Education Center.
With the win, Harding improved to 21-4 overall and 11-3 in Great American Conference play, while Ouachita slipped to 14-12 overall and 10-4 in league action.
Melaina Haines paced the Lady Bisons' attack with a match-high 17 kills while adding 16 digs. Philomina Klotz turned in an efficient performance, hitting .517 with 16 kills and just one error on 29 attempts. Ella Drake contributed 13 kills, and Lauren Demuth registered 11 kills while hitting .476.
Olivia Wiedower orchestrated the offense with a 44-assist, 10-dig double-double. Ainsley Edgington provided a spark off the bench over the final two sets, dishing out 10 assists and firing two service aces.
Defensively, Mallory Weyand led four Lady Bisons in double-figure digs with 20. Addie Worley tallied 13 digs to go along with nine kills, and Maddie Burrough added nine digs and two aces.
After the teams traded the first two frames, Ouachita claimed the third set 25-22 behind back-to-back service aces from Mack Bidwell during a late 4-0 spurt.
Harding responded in the fourth, hitting .323 to force a deciding set. Trailing 18-17, the Lady Bisons closed on an 8-1 run fueled by Edgington's service turn, which included two aces and four consecutive kills by Worley, Haylie Huggins, and Klotz to take the frame 25-19.
The Lady Bisons carried that momentum into the fifth set, hitting .429 with eight kills and only two attack errors. Tied 3-3, Harding broke away with an 8-2 run highlighted by a Burrough ace and two kills from Klotz. Following a late Ouachita coach card that stretched the lead to 13-5, Klotz capped the night with her 16th kill to seal the 15-6 victory.
Sophie Henry led Ouachita with 14 kills, while Ella Irons finished with 12 kills and Leah Gardner added 10. Bidwell recorded 43 assists and 13 digs.
Harding finished the contest hitting .258 with 68 kills, while holding the Tigers to a .172 clip.
The Lady Bisons will back in action Tuesday when it travels to take on Southern Arkansas. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m.
