SHERMAN, Texas – Five days ago Stormi Leonard set the Great American Conference record for assists in a game. Tonight, Leonard surpassed the GAC career assists record as Ouachita defeated Austin College and Howard Payne University.

Adrianna Nolly (Denton, Texas) fired home a kill in the third set against Howard Payne giving teammate Stormi Leonard (Decatur, Texas) the GAC All-Time career assists record. Leonard surpassed Southeastern Oklahoma State's Alissa Benson's mark of 4,142 assists.



"We are so excited for Stormi [Leonard] to set the record," Ouachita head volleyball coach Allison Frizzell-Kizer said. "With 11 games left before the GAC tournament, we know she is going to strive to set herself apart and make the record even higher. It was more sentimental having Adri [Nolly] register the kill that set the record; the two of them have really clicked this season. As always, it is a team effort, but Stormi's athleticism puts the ball right where it needs to be for our hitters to execute. We are all so proud of her."

Nolly recorded a team high 28 kills and 15 blocks in the two matches this afternoon, while Shannon Hogan registered a team high 29 digs on the afternoon.

Match One: Ouachita 3, Austin College 1
In the first match of the afternoon Ouachita (13-6) competed against the host school Austin College (8-7). The Tigers dropped the opening set 23-25 after committing a team high nine errors in the opening set. Ouachita hit a very uncharacteristic .091 in the opening set while the Kangaroos recorded their best set of the night with 15 kills.

The second set appeared to be another tightly contested frame until the Tigers went ahead 10-8. Ouachita then raced ahead of the Kangaroos with a 12-2 spurt. After a few kills by Austin College made the set, a little interesting the Tigers finished off their opponents, winning the second set 25-15.

In the third frame, the Tigers and the Kangaroos battled for every point in the opening moments of the set. At 10-9, it appeared to be anyone's set, but three consecutive blocks helped the Tigers jump out to a 14-10 advantage. Moments later the Tigers were holding a 20-16 lead, Nolly jumped started a quick Ouachita rally that cemented the Tigers 25-20 third set victory.

Ouachita actually found themselves down at the start of the fourth set. At the 8-10 mark of the set the Tigers went on a 5-0 run to take a 12-10 lead over the Kangaroos. Tied at 17-17 the Tigers hoped that they would not end up going to a fifth set for a third consecutive time. Ouachita made sure that did not happen as they won the final eight points of the set to take the match 3-1.

Nolly finished the first match with 16 kills and nine blocks, Leonard registered 40 assists and Nikki Clay (Bryant, Ark.) led the team with 22 digs.

Match Two: Ouachita 3, Howard Payne 0
From start to finish, it was all Ouachita as they defeated Howard Payne in three sets. The Tigers jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the opening set. Ouachita never let the Yellow Jackets in the match as they raced ahead to a 17-9 advantage and the Tigers costed to a 25-17 first set victory.

The second set was a little bit closer as the two squads found themselves tied at six in the early parts of the sets. Then the Tigers reeled off a 10-1 run to take the lead and never looked back. Ouachita costed to a 25-16 second set victory.

In the final frame, the Yellow Jackets gave it everything but the Tigers were overpowering. Tied at seven, Ouachita won eight consecutive points and closed out the final set 25-14.

Ouachita hit .286 in the match, while Howard Payne recorded a .061 hitting percentage. Nolly recorded another 12 kills, Leonard registered 31 assists and Hogan led the team with 16 digs.

The Tigers will be back at home this weekend to face Southern Nazarene and Oklahoma Baptist. For more information on the Ouachita volleyball team, stay tuned to www.obutigers.com or the official social media accounts of Ouachita athletics.