ARKADELPHIA - Ouachita Baptist volleyball battled back from an early deficit to force a decisive fifth set against UT Tyler on Thursday afternoon.
The Patriots claimed the five-set match by scores of 25-18, 24-26, 22-25, 25-9, 15-8, handing Ouachita a hard-fought loss in the season-opening matchup.
Ouachita opened the match with an 18-25 setback before responding emphatically in the second and third sets. The Tigers edged UT Tyler 26-24 in the second set and followed with a 25-22 third-set victory to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
The second set featured a back-and-forth battle, with Ouachita using kills from
Kailey Thedford,
Kyleigh Casey,
Leah Gardner,
Sophie Henry and
Ruby Farris to keep pace with the Patriots. The Tigers eventually pulled away late, including a service ace from
Molly Williams, before Casey and Henry helped Ouachita close out the set.
Ouachita continued its momentum in the third set. Henry and Thedford provided key kills early, while Gardner and Casey helped the Tigers maintain control. Ouachita's defense also came up big at the net, with Henry recording a solo block late in the set before the Tigers finished off the frame, 25-22.
UT Tyler answered in the fourth set, however, jumping out to an early advantage and eventually forcing a fifth set with a 25-9 victory. The Patriots used a strong serving and attacking stretch to create separation, while Ouachita struggled to regain the momentum it had established in the middle of the match.
The Tigers started the deciding set facing an early deficit, but Thedford delivered a kill to keep Ouachita within striking distance. Henry later added a solo block and another kill, while Thedford continued to provide offense. UT Tyler ultimately pulled away and secured the match with a 15-8 fifth-set win.
Henry led the Tigers offensively with 12 kills and added three solo blocks and two block assists for a team-high 16 points. Gardner finished with nine kills, three digs and three total blocks, while Casey recorded eight kills and three blocks. Thedford also contributed eight kills.
Ouachita's attack was distributed throughout the lineup, with the Tigers recording 46 kills on 148 attacks.
Mack Bidwell directed the offense with 46 assists, while
Kylie Kisgen added four assists and one service ace.
Defensively, Ouachita finished with 45 digs and eight total team blocks. Gardner and Henry led the Tigers at the net, while
Molly Williams recorded seven digs and
Gracey Campbell added five.
The Tigers continue play in the Tiger-Reddie Challenge with two matches on Friday, Sept. 4. Matches are scheduled for 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. against Missouri S&T and Mississippi Christian, respectively.
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