HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Oklahoma Baptist Volleyball is set to face the Tigers from Ouachita Baptist for a 5:30 p.m. meeting in the opening round of tournament play Thursday night.
The green and gold have fought their way back into the GAC Tournament. The Bison are the reigning GAC Champions this time around, looking to use their experience to their advantage.
Oklahoma Baptist is the four seed headed into the 2024 GAC Tournament and will go head-to-head with the five seed, Ouachita Baptist. Earlier this season, the meeting between the OBU's took place on Oct. 10. The Bison hosted the Tigers, and the afternoon ended in four sets with the green and gold on top.
Bison Notes
- The green and gold are 16-12 at the conclusion of the regular season. The Bison are locked into a 10-6 conference record. OBU ended the regular season with a 3-1 win over Northwestern Oklahoma State on the road.
- The six losses of the season for the Bison come from Harding, Southwestern Oklahoma State, East Central, and Southeastern Oklahoma State.
- Of the 10 conference wins, five came in the form of a sweep and the green and gold lost a total of five sets out of 35 total sets in matches won for the Bison.
- Headed into the tournament, OBU leads the GAC in digs per set, averaging 18.97 with a total of 2,094 digs. The Bison rank fourth in points per set (16.40), assists per set (12.24), and kills per set (13.25). The green and gold hold the fifth highest hitting percentage at .201 and the sixth most service aces per set at 1.46.
- Jill Leslie holds the sixth highest hitting percentage at .311 and the 10th best kills per ser average at 2.93. Leslie is also ranked sixth in points per set at 3.61. Emily Boyer is ranked second in the league in assists per set, averaging 10.32 with a total of 1,073 assists. Boyer is also third in the GAC in service aces per set at 0.40 per set, totaling 42 aces on the season. Karsyn Hunter takes 10th place in digs per set at 4.02, totaling 434 on the season.
- Leslie was named All-GAC First Team, Boyer claimed a spot on the All-GAC Second Team and Avery Hellmuth received GAC Elite Scholar Student-Athlete honors.
Tiger Notes
- Headed into the evening's match, the Tigers are 19-9 overall and 10-6 in conference play. The purple and white are coming off a four-game win streak after wins over Harding, Arkansas-Monticello, Henderson State, and Arkansas Tech.
- Previously this season, the OBU has dropped matches against Southern Arkansas, Harding, Henderson State, Oklahoma Baptist, and Southwestern Oklahoma State, totaling their six losses.
- Ouachita Baptist is ranked first in hitting percentage at .246, and second in kills per set at 13.69. The purple and white are third in the conference in points per set (16.87) and assists per set (12.26). The Tigers are also fourth in service aces per set at 1.53.
- Courtney Hanson was named All-GAC First Team. Emily Adams is a member of the All-GAC Second Team and GAC Elite Scholar Student-Athletes, and Leah Gardner was an All-GAC Honorable Mention.
