Tweet #theGAC  HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Oklahoma Baptist won the program’s third Great American Conference Volleyball Championship title by defeating fourth-seeded Henderson State in four sets on Saturday from the Bank OZK Arena. The Bison’s Jill Leslie earned Tournament MVP honors.

Leading two sets to one, the Bison (22-8) emphatically began the final set by scoring 12 of the first 13 points en route to a 25-10 score. The 15-point margin represented the widest of the 2023 GAC Championships. Leslie capped her MVP week with seven kills in the set, without an error, plus four blocks. She totaled 19 kills, five blocks and two service aces.

In contrast, the opening set featured 13 ties and six lead changes. The Bison rallied from an early five-point deficit to claim the opening set, 31-29 - the second-longest set, by points, in GAC Championship history. Oklahoma Baptist staved off a set point, 29-28, and won the final three points via a service error and kills by Jenna West and Emily Boyer. West, Leslie and Avery Hellmuth all registered six kills in the marathon set.

Henderson State (21-11) squared up the match by winning the final six points of the second set to earn a 25-20 victory. The Reddies hit .378 in the set led by Christiane Uzoh’s five kills. The Bison regained the lead by scoring a 25-18 win in the third set.

The Bison’s Hellmuth and D'Erricka Frierson claimed All-Tournament honors. Hellmuth hit .448 as she notched 13 kills, without an error, on 29 attempts. In the Bison’s three contests, she hit .500. Frierson added 12 kills. She averaged 3.10 kills per set for the GAC Championships. With the win, the Bison became the third GAC team with at least three titles joining Arkansas Tech, five, and Harding, three. They also became just the second No. 2 seed to win the title as they matched the feat of the 2013 Golden Suns.

Violeta Mendoza Quintana and Trinity Sharp represented the Reddies on the All-Tournament Team. Mendoza Quintana finished with a match-high 25 digs. She added 10 kills. She averaged 3.75 kills per set across her three games. Sharp added 19 digs for a three-game total of 62. Southwestern Oklahoma State’s Zoey Sparks and Harding’s Emma Winiger rounded out the seven-member All-Tournament team.

Oklahoma Baptist learns its opponent and destination for the NCAA Division II Central Regions Championships at 6:30 p.m. on Monday. The selection show stream on NCAA.com.