RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. - With the 2021 GAC volleyball regular season complete, the league announced the bracket and schedule for the GAC Volleyball Championships. The event begins on Thursday with four quarterfinal contests from the Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
The tournament opens with No. 3 Arkansas Tech facing No. 6 Henderson State. In the regular season, the Golden Suns and Reddies each won on their home courts. Tech won in four sets on September 21 while Henderson State scored a five-set win on November 2.
The second quarterfinal features No. 2 Southwestern Oklahoma State and No. 7 Southeastern Oklahoma State. The second seed matches the best showing for the Bulldogs while the Savage Storm qualified for the eight-team version of the Championships for the first time since 2017. The Bulldogs won both regular season meetings – in three sets on September 21 and in four on November 2.
Oklahoma Baptist earned the top seed for the third-straight tournament. The Bison have won the last two GAC Championships and can become the first team to win three-straight titles. The play rival Southern Nazarene in the opening round. The Bison won both regular-season meetings in straight sets and have won five straight in the series.
Thursday’s quarterfinals wrap up with No. 4 Harding taking on No. 5 East Central. The Tigers ended a seven-year drought from the eight-team GAC Championships. Back on October 23, the Tigers won the final two sets to defeat the Lady Bisons for the first time in program history.
The GAC Sports Network will broadcast all seven contests. For complete coverage and additional information, visit the
GAC Volleyball Championships Central page
.
2021 GAC Volleyball Championship
Thursday, November 17 - Quarterfinals:
Match #1: Noon- #3 Arkansas Tech vs #6 Henderson State
Match #2: 2:30 PM - #2 Southwestern Oklahoma State vs #7 Southeastern Oklahoma State
Match #3: 5:00 PM- #1 Oklahoma Baptist vs #8 Southern Nazarene
Match #4: 7:30 PM - #4 Harding at #5 East Central
Friday, November 19 - Semifinals:
Match #5: 3:30 PM- Winner of Match #1 vs. Winner of Match #2
Match #6: 6:00 PM - Winner of Match #3 vs. Winner of Match #4
Saturday, November 20 - Championship:
Match #7: 2:00 PM - Winner of Match #5 vs. Winner of Match #6