Tweet #theGAC  HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Harding won its second Great American Conference Volleyball Championship title as the Lady Bisons defeated Henderson State in four sets on Saturday from the Bank OZK Arena.
 
Harding (25-7) won the final three sets after Henderson State (28-6) took the opening set. The Reddies rallied from down 20-17 by scoring eight of the final 11 points to win the set, 25-23. The Reddies hit .297 in the set.
 
The Reddies started strong in the second set as the grabbed a 9-3 advantage. The Lady Bisons responded by winning five straight points to close to 9-8 and later ticked off six straight points to claim an 18-13 lead. Henderson State closed to 19-17 before Harding won four straight points en route to closing out the set by a 25-19 margin.
 
Henderson State opened the third set by winning six of the first seven points. Harding chipped away at the Reddie advantage and grabbed a lead it would not relinquish at 13-12. The Lady Bison defense held the Reddies to a .036 attack percentage for the set.
 
For the third-straight set, Henderson State grabbed the early lead in the fourth set as they took a 5-1 lead. Harding roared back by winning 12 of the next 15 points to seize control of the set. After the Reddies drew level at 14-14, the Lady Bisons pushed their lead up to 21-17 and clinched the title on a kill by Emma Reeves.
 
Zoe Hardin earned the MVP honors after she averaged 4.77 points per set and hit .266. Against the Reddies, she tallied 11 kills, four aces and six total blocks. Rachel Heussner and Madison Poen also represented the Lady Bisons on the All-Tournament Teeam. Courtney Bolf and Zuzana Ondruskova represented Henderson State while Southwestern Oklahoma State’s Elizabeth McVicker and Ouachita’s Stormi Leonard filled out the team.
 
Bolf set the GAC Championship single-match record with 81 attempts. She averaged 5.45 kills and 7.27 digs per set. Ondruskova averaged 5.32 points per set and 5.00 digs per set.
 
The Lady Bisons earn the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, the fifth appearance in program history. Harding made four-straight trips from 2002 through 2005. They will learn the opponent and their destination during Sunday’s selection show, which streams on NCAA.com, beginning at 9 p.m.