Lady Bison Defeat Reddies in Five Sets

Box Score SHAWNEE – (HTML Stats) Oklahoma Baptist capped off a 2-0 week in Great American Conference play with a 3-2 (25-15, 18-25, 18-25, 25-20, 15-13) win over Henderson State Saturday afternoon at the Noble Complex.
 
Hayden Blair finished with an OBU career-high 54 assists as the Lady Bison (11-9, 6-1 GAC) came from behind to win their third five-set match of the season. The Reddies (11-9, 6-1 GAC) fell to 0-3 in matches that go the distance.
 
Tied 9-9 in the first set, OBU sent Kelsi Chavez to the service line. The freshman sparked a 10-point flurry, which would represent the final margin. HSU picked up two straight set wins to take the advantage. The Lady Bison outlasted the Reddies in the fourth set to force a winner-take-all fifth set.
 
Kills from Malia Leatherland and Cadyn Laing in the fifth set gave the Lady Bison an early 5-1 lead. Henderson State briefly gained a 13-12 lead late in the set, but kills by Laing and Sophia Couto sealed the set and match in favor of the Lady Bison.
 
Leatherland paced the team with 20 kills, the most in her freshman campaign on Bison Hill. Chavez picked up 21 digs in her second straight start and Couto finished with seven blocks.
 
The Lady Bison embark on the farthest road trip of GAC play next weekend, facing Southern Arkansas in Magnolia Friday at 6 p.m. and Arkansas-Monticello at 1 p.m. Saturday.