Tweet #theGAC  HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Defending champion Harding defeated third-seeded Southwestern Oklahoma State in four sets, 25-27, 25-23, 31-29 and 27-25, in Thursday’s opening quarterfinal contest of the 2019 Great American Conference Volleyball Championships from the Bank OZK Arena.
 
The Lady Bisons (20-10) improved to 4-0 all-time against the Bulldogs (16-12) in GAC Championship play. They also became the first No. 6 seed to win a quarterfinal match since Southern Arkansas defeated Southeastern Oklahoma State at the 2011 event.
 
After splitting the opening two sets, Harding and SWOSU engaged in the second-longest set in GAC Championship history. The set featured 19 ties and six lead changes. It took the Lady Bisons six set points before Emily Smith delivered the clinching kill.
 
While not as dramatic as the prior set, the fourth set witnessed 12 ties and six lead changes. SWOSU led by as many as five points on three occasions and Harding fended off a set point before Logan Smith closed out the match with her team-leading 19 kills.
 
She finished as one four Lady Bisons to reach double figures in kills. She tied Emma Winiger for the team lead with 22 digs. Libby Hinton added 16 kills and posted a .353 attack percentage. Sarah Morehead tallied 57 assists.
 
Maicee Morgan, the GAC Freshman of the Year paced the Bulldogs with 19 kills. GAC Defensive Player of the Year Kaitlyn Dillon registered a match-high 30 digs.
 
The match made championship history, as it became the first in 57 all-time contests to feature at least three sets that required extra points. Additionally, it finished as just the third match in the GAC this season to have of the contest’s sets decided by exactly two points.
 
Harding’s victory gave the Lady Bisons 20 wins on the season and they joined Oklahoma Baptist, Northwestern Oklahoma State, Henderson State and Southern Nazarene in the 20-win club. The five 20-win teams te=ies the conference’s single-season record, set previously in 2016.
 
The Lady Bisons will take on the Northwestern Oklahoma State-Ouachita winner at 3:30 pm in Friday’s first semifinal contest. During the regular season, Harding won a five-set match with the Rangers at home and split its two meetings with the Tigers.