ARKADELPHIA – The Ouachita Volleyball team picked up a dominant 3-0 sweep over the first-place Bisons of Harding University Tuesday night at the Sturgis Center for its fourth-straight victory.
The set scores were 25-17, 25-18 and 25-21.
This was the Tigers' first win against the Bisons since 2019 and their first sweep of Harding since the 1988 season.
Ouachita opened up the match hot, jumping out to a commanding 10-1 lead to start the first set. The Tigers pushed their early advantage out to a 12-point, 21-9 lead, their largest of the night. Harding attempted to claw their way back, but it was too late, and Ouachita comfortably took the opening set 25-17.
Harding found itself with a small lead early in the second set, taking an 8-7 advantage. But three quick kills put the Tigers right back on top 10-8. The two teams traded ties over the next few points before Ouachita came alive and went on an 8-1 tear to take a 24-16 lead over the first-place Bisons. The Tigers earned the last point on a service error to win set two 25-18 and take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The third set again started closer, with Ouachita taking the first two points. The Tigers and Bisons traded blows early in the set. It was just a one-point game when the Tigers found a rhythm with a 5-0 run to take a 15-9 lead over the Bisons. Ouachita maintained its lead, even with the Bisons shrinking it to just two points late in the set with a score of 23-21. Ouachita did not want to give up an inch and was ready to close the match out, as kills from
Riley Braziel and
Leah Gardner gave the Tigers a 25-21 win in set three and sealed the 3-0 sweep of Harding.
The Tigers only trailed twice the entire match, and that was only by one point each time in the second set.
Kayla Steinmeyer led all attackers with 11 kills and a .318 hitting percentage.
Emily Adams was next with eight, followed by
Leah Gardner with seven. Gardner led the front-row defense with three blocks.
Avery Jauz led all defenders with 17 digs, followed closely by
Riley Braziel with 16.
Courtney Hanson dished out 30 assists in the match to lead all setters. Hanson also grabbed 13 digs to go along with her 30 assists for her 12
th double-double of the season. The sophomore also led both sides in aces with two.
The Tigers beat Harding in nearly every category on the court tonight, racking up 10 more kills and 11 more digs than the Bisons and holding the Bisons to just a .081 hitting percentage, Harding's second lowest of the season. Ouachita was the first GAC team to sweep Harding this season and the first GAC opponent to sweep the Bisons in almost two years.
The Tigers will look to keep the momentum going as they host the Muleriders of Southern Arkansas University on Thursday, November 2 for Senior Night at the Sturgis Center.
