HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Fourth-seeded Harding withstood a Ouachita Baptist rally in the pivotal third set then pulled away in the decisive fourth set to knock out the Tigers in Thursday's last quarterfinal and set up semifinal showdown with Arkansas Tech.
After splitting the opening two sets, the Lady Bisons (20-8) and Tigers (16-10) turned in their top-hitting performances in the third set. Harding hit .370 and Ouachita Baptist hit .293. The set opened with Harding taking an 11-5 lead. OBU responded by scoring 10 of the next 14 points to square the set at 15 each. Harding responded with four straight points. On four occasions, the Tigers pulled to within two points, but a kill by Sara Smith closed out the set for the Bisons.
In the fourth set, the Tigers grabbed an early advantage, but with the Lady Bisons up 12-11, they scored six of the next seven points to gain a comfortable advantage. Anna Leigh Cargile provided strong defense in the set as collected seven of her 14 digs in the fourth set.
HU-OBU BOX SCORE || PHOTO GALLERY
Marindia Turner led the Lady Bisons with 15 kills and added 18 digs. Smith added 11 and a .500 attack percentage. First-Team All-GAC performer Liv Savage also totaled 11 kills. Taryn Eubank collected 50 assists and 11 digs.
For the Tigers, who pushed the Lady Bisons to five sets in last year's semifinals, five players, led by Kori Bullard, reached double figures in kills. Tara Wait gave out 54 assists and she added 14 digs. Ashley Wake totaled a match-leading 23 kills and Jayme Shell added 21.
The Lady Bisons and Golden Suns have met in the final of each of the previous three GAC Volleyball Championships. Each won on their respective home floor - Arkansas Tech in 2011 and Harding in 2012 - with the Golden Suns winning in Hot Springs last year. The GAC Sports Network will carry the match at
GACSportsNetwork.com.