ARKADELPHIA – The Ouachita Volleyball team picked up a 3-1 win over the Muleriders of Southern Arkansas University on senior night for the Tigers' fifth straight win.
The four seniors honored tonight were
Kellen Church,
EJ Day,
Kayla Steinmeyer and
Zhara Thomas, all of whom have played big roles for Ouachita over their respective careers.
Ouachita started the match blazing hot, starting with an 8-0 run to open the match. The Tigers ballooned their lead all the way to 16 points with a score of 19-3. Southern Arkansas put together a small run, but it was too little, too late as Ouachita cruised to a 25-12 win in the opening set. The Tigers hit .382 with 17 kills to SAU's five kills and .000 hitting percentage in the first set.
SAU kept things closer in the second set, with Ouachita holding an 18-14 lead late. But a 7-0 Mulerider run proved to be the difference as Southern Arkansas took the set 25-20 and tied the match 1-1.
The Tigers found themselves facing a four-point deficit early in the third set. A 10-2 Tiger run turned things around to give Ouachita its own four-point lead. It was back and forth until SAU used a 6-0 run to retake the lead with a score of 20-18. The Tigers were not ready to lie down yet, waking up and going on a 7-1 tear that included four kills and two aces to give the Tigers a 25-21 win in set three and a 2-1 lead in the match.
Set four started with SAU taking another early four-point lead. This time, the Muleriders held their lead longer with their largest lead coming with the score at 17-12. Something shifted for the Tigers, as they again became red hot, going on an 8-1 run that consisted of six kills, with five of them coming from
Riley Braziel. The Tigers now had a 24-19 lead; SAU took the next point, but
Emily Adams finished things off with a kill to give Ouachita a 25-20 win in set four and a 3-1 victory in the match.
Braziel led a balanced offensive attack for the Tigers with 12 kills.
Emily Adams was next with 11 kills and a .345 hitting percentage.
Kayla Steinmeyer followed with 10 kills.
Sticking with the front row,
Haley Fairchild and
Leah Gardner each led the Tigers with three blocks. Gardner also recorded two aces tonight.
Courtney Hanson handed out 37 assists on the night to lead all setters. Hanson also picked up 12 digs to complete her 13
th double-double of the season.
Avery Jauz led the Tiger defenders with 21 digs, followed by Hanson with 12.
The Tigers' five-game winning streak is the team's longest since the 2018 season, when they had streaks of eight and nine wins.
Ouachita currently sits in fifth place in the Great American Conference standings with just two matches left in the regular season, with both of them on the road.
The Tigers will look to keep momentum on their side as they take the short trip across the street on Monday, November 6 to take on the Reddies of Henderson State University.
