HOT SPRINGS, Arkansas – The Ouachita volleyball team earned a berth to the Great American Conference Tournament Semifinals with a 3-2 win over fourth-seeded Oklahoma Baptist on Thursday night at Bank OZK Arena.
Tonight's five set quarterfinal win is the first GAC Tournament win for Ouachita since 2022.
Set Scores: 27-25, 14-25, 18-25, 25-23, 15-9
The opening set of the GAC Quarterfinal match up started with Ouachita (20-9, 10-6) and Oklahoma Baptist (16-13, 10-6) going nearly point for point over most. Any time one team would put together a run, the other side would put together an identical run to keep the set tied. The Tigers found themselves staring down set point trailing 24-22 and scored three straight points to go up 25-24 and send the set to extra points. The Bison tied it back up at 25-25, but Ouachita answered with two in a row to win the first set 27-25.
The two teams opened up set four tied 4-4. But from there, Oklahoma Baptist started to take control thanks to a few small runs. The Bison held onto that control to win set two 25-14.
Ouachita started out hot in the third set, jumping out to a 5-1 lead, but OKB tied it up four points later. The Bison took a slim advantage after that kept it until the end. The Tigers brought it within three late, but Oklahoma Baptist took set three 25-18 and took a 2-1 match lead.
The Tigers came out swinging in set four, taking a commanding 7-0 lead out of the gate. Ouachita's lead grew to double digits at the 14-4 mark. But then the Bison started to chip away at the Tigers' lead. Still, it looked like Ouachita had the set under control, setting up set point with the score of 24-18. However, the Bison scored five straight points to bring the set within one. The Tigers held on and got the final point to win set four 25-23 and tie the match 2-2, forcing a winner-take-all set five for a trip to the GAC Semifinals.
After starting the deciding set close, Ouachita started to pull away, taking a three-point lead. A 5-0 Tiger run all but sealed the deal by putting the Ouachita up 14-7 and setting up match point. Two points later, a Tiger kill won the set for Ouachita 15-9 and secured the 3-2 match victory.
Tonight's victory put the Tigers at the 20-win mark for the first time since 2018.
Riley Braziel led the Tiger offense with 16 kills.
Emily Adams was close behind with 14, followed by
Leah Gardner with 12 on a .370 hitting percentage and
Savannah Whitaker with 11.
Courtney Hanson dished out a match-high 51 assists, good for her sixth 50-plus assist match of the season. Hanson also racked up a season-high 19 digs for her 15
th double-double of the season.
Avery Jauz racked up a career-high 33 digs to lead all defenders.
Peyton Church was next with a career-high 23 digs, followed by Hanson with 19, Braziel with 16 and
Kylie Kisgen with 10. Braziel's 16 assists give the Decatur, Texas native her 12
th double-double of the season.
In total, the Tigers recorded 109 digs, the most in a single match this season and the most since totalling 121 against UT-Permian Basin in 2021.
Gardner led the front row defense with five blocks, followed by Adams and
Haley Fairchild with four each.
The Tigers will be taking on the No. 1 seed Bulldogs of Southwestern Oklahoma State in the GAC Semifinals tomorrow, Friday, November 22 at 5 p.m. in Hot Springs at Bank OZK Arena.
