ARKADELPHIA – In a battle of the first and second place volleyball teams in the Great American Conference, the Ouachita Tigers came out on top Friday night at home in a five-set thriller over the Oklahoma Baptist Bison.
Final set scores were 25-27, 25-22, 22-25, 25-14, and 15-12. The Tigers improve to 21-3 overall and finished off the first round of GAC games with victories over all 11 opponents. Ouachita will face the Arkansas schools in the league once more in the final three weeks of the regular season.
As the set scores indicate, Friday's match between the Tigers and Bison (16-7, 8-3 GAC) was back and forth with numerous runs from both teams and come-from-behind rallies.
The turning point for the Tigers was a dominant fourth set. After having their backs against the wall down 2-1 in the match, Ouachita put it all together in the fourth, hitting .441 for the set with 16 kills and only one error on 34 swings.
The Bison were poised to steal the match in the fifth set, winning seven of the first nine rallies. The Tigers began chipping away and ended up dominating down the stretch, winning nine of the last 11 rallies, taking their first lead of the frame at 12-11 on a kill from
Leah Gardner, who added another in the next rally to put the Tigers up 13-11. The Bison won the next point, but the Tigers answered back on a kill from
Savannah Whitaker to set up match point. Whitaker and Gardner scored the game winner with a block.
Friday's contest was Ouachita's first five-set affair in GAC play this season. The Tigers ended up with season-highs in kills (72), total attacks (211), assists (64), digs (112), and total points (88).
Individually, Gardner led the way with 20 points, including 15 kills and six blocks. She also had one ace.
Emily Adams matched Gardner's kill total and finished with a .389 hitting percentage with only one error on 36 swings.
Haley Fairchild led the team in percentage at .391 with 11 kills and two errors on 23 swings. Fairchild also had four blocks in the win.
Riley Braziel posted her second straight double-double and sixth of the season with 13 kills and 15 digs.
Kylie Kisgen totaled a season-high 35 digs in the win.
Courtney Hanson posted season-highs in assists (53) and digs (24). It was her first 50-assist game of the season and third career match with at least 50 kills and at least 20 digs.
Peyton Church and Whitaker also reached double digits in digs with 13 and 12, respectively. Whitaker also finished with a season-high nine kills and two blocks.
The Tigers look to keep their current 11-game winning streak going next Thursday, October 30 at home against Southern Arkansas. First serve is set for 6 p.m.
