HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – For the first time this decade the Ouachita Baptist volleyball team went undefeated in the Alabama-Huntsville Classic as they defeated West Georgia and Alabama-Huntsville in pair of five set classics.

The last time the Tigers won back-to-back five set matches was against Southern Arkansas and East Central over a four-day span during the 2014 season. This was the first time this decade that the Tigers had won back-to-back five set matches in a tournament setting.

"It was a long day taking both games to five sets but we fought through and finished on a high note." Ouachita volleyball coach Allison Frizzell-Kizer, "Those five set games can really test the character of a team and we chose to rise up and "cross the line" and take the wins. Tabatha Huckabee (North Richland Hills, Texas) and Adrianna Nolly (Denton, Texas) led our team offensively and props to Alabama-Huntsville and West Georgia for their scrappiness on defense. Each teammate knew their job on and off the court and that is how we were able to compete. I am beyond proud of how each player took grasp of their role."

"Stormi Leonard (Decatur, Texas) was consistent and fed the ball to our hitters well in both games," Frizzell-Kizer responded.

Leonard finished the weekend with 146 assists. The senior from the Lone Star state is now 406 assists away from breaking the Great American Conference career assists record. Leonard finished the day with a pair of double doubles in assists and digs.

Huckabee and Nolly proved to be a strong force at the net this weekend. Nolly finished the weekend with 50 kills and 20 total blocks. Huckabee ended the weekend with 39 kills and 10 total blocks.

​​​​​​​Julianna Mack and Nikki Clay finished first and second on the team in digs. Mack ended the weekend with 53, while Clay contributed 43 digs.

Match One: Ouachita 3, West Georgia 2
The Tigers came back from two sets to love down to win their third straight match of the 2018 season. The last time Ouachita (3-1, 0-0) came back from a 2-0 deficit was on October 17, 2014 against Great American Conference foe East Central.

Surprisingly the last time Ouachita defeated West Georgia (2-1, 0-0) it was a 3-2 victory as well back in 2011. Now head coach Allison Fizzell-Kizer was a junior on the team during the Tigers last victory over West Georgia.

In the opening frame, the Tigers and Wolves stayed within a point of each other through the opening 18 points. With the score deadlocked at 9-9, West Georgia went on a quick 8-1 run to take a commanding 17-10 advantage. West Georgia never looked back and took the first set 25-16.

In the second stanza, Ouachita jumped out to an early 3-0 lead. The Wolves reeled off an 8-2 run to take back the lead at 8-5. Moments later the Tigers were looking up at a 20-13 deficit. Julianna Mack served up a pair of aces that ignited a 5-0 Ouachita run. West Georgia quickly countered with a 5-1 spurt to close out the second set.

The third set was a back-and-forth affair between the two squads as neither one wanted to yield an inch. Ouachita held a 12-9 advantage and looked poised to run away with the set. West Georgia went on a 5-0 run to take back the lead, but the Tigers were resilient and roared back with a 5-0 run of their own. Ouachita closed out the third set on an 8-4 run, keeping the match alive.

Ouachita had their best set offensively in the fourth with a .304 hitting percentage. The Tigers produced double-digit kills for the second time in the match. A pair of late Tiger runs made sure that the match would go the distance.

The Tigers had full momentum on their side and easily won the final decisive set 15-8. Ouachita hit .278 in the final set while West Georgia hit a match low .053.

Leonard finished the match with her first double double (35 assists, 12 digs) of the season. Nolly led the team in three different categories, kills (13), blocks (6) and service aces (3). Mack tied for a team high 12 digs in the match.

Match Two: Ouachita 3, Alabama-Huntsville 2
For the first time in four years, the Ouachita Tigers (4-0, 0-0) are victorious over the Chargers of Alabama-Huntsville (2-2, 0-0). The Tigers defeated the Chargers in a five set battle 26-28, 25-23, 25-23, 27-29, 15-12.

Ouachita brought the hammer in the opening frame recording 20 kills as a team. Alabama-Huntsville raced out to a 7-3 lead before the Tigers responded with a quick 3-0 rebuttal. The two teams tied on five different occasions in the opening set; at 14-14, the Chargers had an offensive spurt and won four consecutive points. Alabama-Huntsville served for the set at 24-18, but the Tigers fought off six consecutive set points to tie the match at 24. The teams stayed tied for a few more points before the Chargers pulled ahead 28-26.

The Tigers took out their vengeance on the Chargers at the start of the second set. Ouachita won six of the first seven points, moments later the match was knotted up at seven. The pivotal moment of the second set came at 20-20. Nolly and Paige Williams reeled off back-to-back-to-back kills to give the Tigers a crucial three-point advantage late in the set. A pair of kills later and the Tigers had tied the match at one set all.

The third set saw Huntsville racing out to an early 4-0 advantage and eventually held an 11-4 third set lead. Down 16-8, the Tigers roared back and pulled within a single point of the Chargers. Seven straight points later and Ouachita was in business as they closed out the second set 25-23.

Ouachita had a chance to put the match away in the fourth set, but neither team was able to pull away from each other as they played extra volleyball for the second time in the match. The set was tied multiple times, but it was Huntsville who ended the set on a 4-1 run.

In the fifth and final set, Huntsville had the higher hitting percentage. The Chargers hit .435 in the set and produced 11 kills. The Tigers were the ones that came out victorious though after multiple key runs. With the match tied at 12, the Chargers committed a hitting error to give the Tigers a one-point lead. Emily Low then put the match away with back-to-back kills and gave the Tigers their second five-set victory of the day.

Leonard produced her second double double of the day with 51 assists and 16 digs. Nolly once again led the team in kills (20) and blocks (6). Tabatha Huckabee (North Richland Hills, Texas) produced 18 kills in the match and Low added 11 kills. Mack finished with a career high 28 digs and Nikki Clay added 24 digs in the contest.

Ouachita will be at home next week to face off against a quartet of opponents. For more information on the Ouachita volleyball team go to www.obutigers.com