HOT SPRINGS, Arkansas – Harding extended its Great American Conference record for semifinal appearances at the Volleyball Championships as the second-seeded Lady Bisons defeated Northwestern Oklahoma in three sets on Thursday from Bank OZK Arena.
The Lady Bisons (21-8) improved to 12-2 in quarterfinal contests as they hit .259 and limited the Rangers (13-16) to just a .136 attack percentage. A 10-3 surge midway through the first set carried Harding to a 25-22 win. The Lady Bisons broke open a tightly-contested second set by winning seven of the final nine points for a 25-19 victory.
The Rangers opened the third set with four straight points only to see the Lady Bisons respond with eight of the next nine. Harding never relinquished the lead and clinched the victory on a closing 10-2 run.
Jacey Lambert led the Harding offense with 13 kills. Delaney Garner added 10 kills and hit .450. Olivia Wiedower registered a double-double - 41 assists and 10 digs. Erika Asencio Soriano paced the Rangers with 12 kills and three aces. She hit .313
Harding faces East Central at 2 p.m. on Friday in the day’s opening semifinal. The Lady Bisons won the lone regular-season meeting, 3-0, on October 12.