LEBANON, Ill. — Melaina Haines paced the offense with a match-high 15 kills as the Harding women's volleyball team claimed a four-set victory over Northwest Missouri on Saturday afternoon at the Melvin Price Convocation Center.
The Lady Bisons took the match 25-11, 25-20, 19-25, 25-22 to complete a 4-0 run to open the 2026 season.
Haines led a balanced attack with 15 kills and three service aces. Addie Worley joined her in double figures with 10 kills, while Ella Drake added nine kills. Setter Olivia Wiedower anchored the offense with 39 assists and added 16 digs to secure a double-double.
Harding established control early in the opening set, hitting a blistering .571 with 12 kills and zero errors to jump to a 25-11 win. The Lady Bisons built on that momentum in set two, holding off the Bearcats 25-20 to take a 2-0 match lead.
Northwest Missouri State (3-1) responded in the third set, taking advantage of 11 Harding attack errors to stay alive with a 25-19 set victory.
However, Harding regrouped in the fourth set. The Lady Bisons registered 14 kills and held the Bearcats to a .143 hitting percentage down the stretch to close out the match, 25-22.
Defensively, the Lady Bisons finished with 69 digs, led by Wiedower's 16, along with 13 digs each from Mallory Weyand and Worley. Up front, Philomina Klotz, Rauly Eason, and Haylie Huggins each tallied three blocks at the net.
Maddie Burrough paced Harding from the baseline with a match-high four service aces, contributing to an 8-5 advantage in aces for the Lady Bisons. Overall, Harding hit .184 while holding Northwest Missouri State to a .113 mark.
Abby Bulthuis led Northwest Missouri State with 11 kills, and Elle Heckenlively added 10.
The Lady Bisons will be back in action next weekend when they take part in the Alabama-Huntsville Invitational. Harding opens the invitational against host team Alabama-Huntsville Thursday at 6 p.m.
