Bison Volleyball hosts Halloween Bash against Arkansas Tech Thursday, Friday match against Harding to close out week’s action

SHAWNEE – OBU Volleyball is back in Noble for a pair of Thursday-Friday matches, kicking things off with a Halloween Bash celebration.

The green and gold will welcome Arkansas Tech and Harding to Shawnee for a couple of afternoon meetings for week eight of Bison Volleyball.
Thursday evening will see OBU take on Arkansas Tech with a 7 p.m. start time in Noble Complex. Harding will come to town for a Friday afternoon matchup at 4 p.m.

Bison Notes

• OBU Volleyball is now 12-9 overall with a 6-3 conference record. A five-game win streak for the Bison entails wins over NWOSU, Ouachita Baptist, Henderson State, Arkansas at Monticello and Southern Arkansas.
• The last five wins for the green and gold are compiled of three sweeps and two four-set wins. Three of the five wins came in Noble Complex.
• OBU leads the GAC in digs per set at 18.15 and a grand total of 1,452 digs. The Bison are fourth in assists per set (11.85) and kills per set (12.89). The green and fourth have the sixth highest hitting percentage at .194 and the sixth most service aces per set at 1.53.
• Emily Boyer recently surpassed 1,000+ career assists. The setter for OBU also broke the school record she set earlier this season. The beginning of the season saw Boyer break the previous school record for assists in a single match with 57 assists in the match against Ouachita Baptist.
• Jill Leslie holds the sixth highest hitting percentage in the conference at .310. Leslie is eighth in points per set with 282 total points for an average of 3.53 points per set.  Boyer is third in the GAC in assists per set with a total of 766 assists, averaging 10.08 per set. Boyer is also second in the conference in service aces per set averaging 0.42 with a total of 32 aces. Karsyn Hunter ranks eighth in the league in digs per set with an average of 4.11 and 329 total digs. 
• In the Preseason Poll, the Bison were picked to finish first in the conference after sharing the regular season title and securing the GAC Tournament Championship title. OBU is currently ranked third in conference, on win behind Harding (7-2) and two wins behind Southwestern Oklahoma State (8-1). 

 
Golden Suns Notes

• Coming into the Thursday night match, Arkansas Tech is right at .500 with an overall record of 11-11 and a 4-5 conference record. 
• The Golden Suns are headed to Shawnee on a one-game win streak after a midweek sweep of Arkansas-Fort Smith at home.
• In the 2024 GAC Preseason Poll, Arkansas Tech was selected to finish 11^th out of 12 teams. 
• Arkansas Tech is second in the conference in service aced per set at 1.83. The Golden Suns are fourth in the GAC in points per set at 16.29. Arkansas Tech is fifth in the conference in kills per set (12.65), assists per set (11.40), and hitting percentage (.197)

 
Harding Notes

• As of Wednesday, Harding is 14-7 overall and 7-2 in conference play.
• Prior to their Thursday evening match at SNU, Harding is on a one-game win streak after taking down NWOSU, 3-1.
• In the Preseason Poll, Harding was predicted to finish third in the GAC after Oklahoma Baptist and SWOSU. 
• Harding leads the conference in points per set at 17.61, assists per set (12.94), and kills (13.96). Harding holds the second highest hitting percentage at .227 and average for digs per set at 18.10. Harding is third in service aces per set at 1.65 and fourth in blocks per set at 2.00.