HOT SPRINGS, Arkansas – After dropping two of the first three sets to Oklahoma Baptist, Ouachita Baptist responded by trailing only once in sets four and five to defeat the Bison, 3-2, in Thursday’s closing Great American Conference Volleyball Championship quarterfinal contest from Bank OZK Arena.
Following losses of 25-14 and 25-18 in sets two and three, the Tigers (20-9) ripped off seven consecutive points to begin set four. Their lead increased to 14-4 before the Bison (16-13) mounted a comeback attempt. Four straight points pulled them to within six, but the Tiger advantage remained between four and seven points until they reached set point up 24-18. The Bison rattled off five consecutive points before the Tigers finally secured the set courtesy of a Bison error.
The decisive set began with a Bison kill from Jill Leslie. The Tigers scored five of the subsequent six points with Emily Adams collecting a pair of kills. Up 9-7, the Tigers scored five-straight points - three via Savannah Whitaker - to reach the brink of the semifinals. The Bison twice staved off elimination before Leah Gardner closed out the match with her 12th kill of the night.
The Tigers improved to 3-4 in five-set games and won for third time in nine instances in which they trailed after three sets. Riley Braziel led a balanced offensive attack with 16 kills; she added 16 digs. Adams added 14 and hit .297; Gardner hit .370 with five blocks. Whitaker notched 11 kills. Courtney Hanson finished with 51 assists and 19 digs. Avery Jauz tallied 33 digs.
In defeat, Rylee Unruh collected a match-high 24 kills, 28.0 points and 23 digs. Leslie added 19 kills with a .348 attack percentage. Emily Boyer recorded 63 assists and 17 digs. Avery Hellmuth hit .316 with 15 kills.
Ouachita Baptist faces Southwestern Oklahoma State at 5 p.m. on Friday in the day’s closing semifinal. The Bulldogs won the lone regular-season meeting, 3-0, on October 25. The Tigers have never reached the final of the GAC Championships in four previous semifinal appearances.