Tweet #theGAC  HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Top-seeded Harding eliminated Ouachita with a four-set victory in Friday’s second Great American Conference Volleyball Championship semifinal from the Bank OZK Arena to advance the title match for the fifth time in eight years.
 
Harding (24-7) recorded comfortable victories in the opening two sets, 25-15 and 25-14. In the first set, the Lady Bisons closed by winning 15 of the final 18 points. In the second set, they raced out a 6-1 lead before Ouachita (23-9) answered and cut the Harding lead to 10-9. At that point, Harding scored 10 of the next 11 points and never led by less than eight points the rest of the set.
 
The Tigers pushed the match to a fourth set as they took the third set, 25-18. Tied at 12, they won three straight points and never relinquished the lead the rest of the season. Leading 20-18, Ouachita took advantage of four Harding errors to win the set.
 
Ouachita grabbed an early 6-4 lead in the fourth set. Harding answered by taking 10 of the next 14 points to pull ahead 14-10. The Tigers drew even at 18 before the Lady Bisons won seven of the final 11 points of the match.
 
The Lady Bisons pushed their win streak to 12, the fifth-longest active streak in Division II. Zoe Hardin, the GAC Player of the Year, led Harding with 17 kills and 21.0 points. Hardin and Emily Clayton Rachel Heussner tallied 55 assists and 10 digs. As a team, they hit .309 and hit at least .375 in their three winning sets.
 
Four Tigers reached double figures in kills, paced by 14 from Katie Camp. Tabatha Huckabee and Emily Low added 12 while Adrianna Nolly contributed 10. Stormi Leonard, the GAC Setter of the Year, closed out her career with 49 assists and 13 digs.
 
Harding matches Arkansas Tech with its five GAC finals appearances. The Lady Bisons squared off with the Golden Suns in each of their four prior title game clashes and won only once, 2012.
 
The Lady Bisons will face Henderson State in Saturday’s 2 p.m. final. During the regular season, Harding won in four sets in Arkadelphia and rallied from an early deficit for a five-set win at home. Since they moved to the GAC, the Lady Bisons have won 14 of 15 meetings with the Reddies.