MAGNOLIA, Ark. — Melaina Haines recorded 17 kills and Addie Worley added 14 as the Harding volleyball team bounced back from an opening-set loss to defeat Southern Arkansas 3-1 (22-25, 25-19, 25-19, 25-17) on Tuesday night at the W.T. Watson Athletic Center.
With the Great American Conference victory, the Lady Bisons improved to 22-4 overall and 12-3 in conference action. Southern Arkansas dropped to 9-19 overall and 3-12 in league play.
Harding setter Olivia Wiedower directed an offense that produced 64 kills and hit .249 overall, dishing out 51 assists while collecting 13 digs.
After dropping the first set 25-22, Harding seized control in the second. The Lady Bisons hammered down 20 kills on a .290 clip, breaking away midway through the set behind strong net play from Haines and Worley to square the match at 1-1.
Harding carried the momentum into the third frame, hitting a match-best .333 with 15 kills. A five-point Lady Bison surge behind the serve of libero Mallory Weyand helped Harding pull away. Late kills from Philomina Klotz and Ella Drake put the frame out of reach at 25-19.
In the fourth set, the Lady Bisons capitalized on four service aces—including two by Maddie Burrough and two from Haines—to mount a commanding 21-11 cushion. Southern Arkansas attempted a late rally, but back-to-back points, capped by a Mulerider attacking error, closed out the match 25-17.
Klotz and Drake chipped in 12 kills apiece for the Lady Bisons. Klotz hit .345 while Drake added 11 digs. Lauren Demuth contributed eight kills on a .308 attack percentage.
Defensively, Worley led five Lady Bisons in double figures with 18 digs, securing a double-double. Weyand posted 16 digs, Haines tallied 15 for a double-double of her own, and Wiedower and Drake added 13 and 11, respectively. Harding was aggressive from the service line throughout the evening, firing nine service aces.
Southern Arkansas was paced by Allie Cooper and Peighton Killeen. Cooper notched 11 kills while hitting .345, and Killeen posted a team-high 12 kills. Hayden Pinard recorded 41 assists and 16 digs for the Muleriders, while Kendall Toliver collected a match-high 32 digs.
The Lady Bisons will wrap up the regular season Thursday when it hosts Arkansas Tech at 6 p.m., on senior night.
