Tweet #theGAC  SHAWNEE, Okla. – Harding completed its undefeated run against Great American Conference opponents with a four-set win against Northwestern Oklahoma State to win the 2022 GAC Volleyball Championship title on Saturday from FireLake Arena.

The Lady Bisons became the fifth team in league history to post an undefeated regular season and claim the tournament title. The win, their 28th in a row, improved their record to 30-1, just the third 30-win season in conference history. Arkansas Tech went 35-4 in 2011 and 35-1 in 2017.

GAC Player of the Year Kelli McKinnon added Tournament MVP honors to her 2022 accolades. She led Harding with 16 kills on Saturday and averaged 3.92 per set for the tournament. Logan Smith and Emma Winiger joined McKinnon on the All-Tournament Team. Smith notched her second double-double of the tournament with 12 kills and 15 digs while Winiger tallied 32 digs in the win and 61 across the three contests.

The upset-minded Rangers (18-15) started out fast in their first-ever finals appearance and built a 18-11 lead in the opening set. The Lady Bisons fought back to level the set at 22 but could never take the lead. The set extended beyond the 25-point mark before the Rangers finished it off by a 27-25 margin.

After three early ties in the second set, the Lady Bisons used a 14-5 run to grab a 21-12 lead. The Rangers battled back, however, and pulled even at 23. A Skyler McKinnon kill and a Ranger attack error secured a 25-23 set three victory.

Following multiple early three-point leads in the third set for the Lady Bisons, the set stood tied at 13 before Harding scored four straight points for a 17-13 lead and closed by netting six of the set’s final seven points en route to a 25-17 win.

In the final set, an early 5-0 burst from Harding put the Lady Bisons in ahead to stay. Twice Northwestern drew to within two points but after the Rangers survived a pair of match points, Harding clinched its third tournament title on a block by Sarah Morehead and Libby Hinton.

The Rangers Addison Wimmer capped an outstanding tournament with 18 kills and 15 digs. She set the single-season tournament record for kills with 62. She placed on the All-Tournament Team alongside setter Cameron Lobb. Lobb finished with 39 assists and 17 digs. She averaged 10.15 assists per set for the weekend.

Southwestern Oklahoma State’s Carmen Kinsey and Ouachita Baptist’s Lexie Castillow rounded out the All-Tournament Team.

The Lady Bisons secured the league’s automatic bid and the program’s sixth appearance in the NCAA Tournament. They will learn their opponent during Sunday’s selection show. It streams on NCAA.com at 9:30 p.m. CT.