SHAWNEE – The first- and second-place teams of the Great American Conference – Harding and Oklahoma Baptist – will meet on Oct. 6 in Searcy for an important league match. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Rhodes-Reaves Field House.
HU is 10-7 which includes a perfect (5-0) GAC record. For the Bison, they are 10-6 and 4-1. Following the match with Harding, OBU plays Arkansas Tech (1-13, 1-4 GAC) on Oct. 7 at 2 p.m.
Bison Notes
- OBU is coming off a 3-2 comeback win at Southwestern Oklahoma State on Oct. 3.
- It was the Bison's fourth straight victory and sixth in their last seven contests.
- The Bison's defense was huge, holding SWOSU to .000 hitting over the final two sets.
- Senior D'Erricka Frierson recorded a double-double with 13 kills and 19 digs.
- Plus, Avery Hellmuth and Jenna West also registered 13 kills.
- Also of note, Maci Langford collected 26 digs while Rylee Martin dished out 31 assists.
- This season, OBU ranks 25th in the country in assists (12.47) and 23rd in blocks (127.0).
- The team also ranks first in the GAC in points, kills, assists and hitting percentage.
- Middle blocker Jill Leslie is slotted 60th in D2 and second in the GAC in hitting (.355).
- OBU will look to avenge its last meeting with Harding. A season ago, the Bisons won 3-1 in Shawnee snapping the green and gold's five-match winning streak in the series.
Harding Notes
- The Bisons have also won four straight after their 3-1 result over ATU on Sept. 28
- Harding's defense and serve game are among the best in the GAC. They rank second in opponent hitting percentage (.149) and lead the conference in aces (1.86).
- The team also ranks second in kills (12.73) and sixth in attack percentage (.194).
- Skyler McKinnon ranks in the top-10 in both hitting (8th; .285) and kills (7th; 3.12).
- Defensively, Emma Winiger is the league leader in digs averaging 4.61 per set.
- Additionally, Olivia Wiedower checks in at sixth in assists (7.74 p/s).
- Harding has won its last 16 matches at home dating back to the 2021 season. Its last loss came on Oct. 23, a five-setter to East Central.
Arkansas Tech Notes
- The Golden Suns have lost six matches in a row and possess just one win in 14 games.
- Just two years ago, ATU went 22-8 and won the GAC Tournament.
- There have been issues on both offense and defense for ATU. They rank 11th out of 12 GAC teams in these categories: digs, kills, assists, hitting percentage and opponent hitting mark.
- Lauren Grier has been a bright spot for the Golden Suns. She is second in the league in blocks (1.00).
- Savanna Meyer has been ATU's best offensive player, leading with 2.5 kills per set.
- In the assists department, Gracie Palmer's 5.91 per-set average is eighth-best in the GAC.
- Last time OBU and ATU met, the Bison won 3-0 in Shawnee on Oct. 14, 2022.
