ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — The Harding volleyball team delivered a statement win Thursday night, dominating Henderson State in a decisive 3-0 sweep (25-11, 25-15, 25-16) at the Duke Wells Center to improve their Great American Conference record to 12-2.
The Lady Bisons (21-4 overall) demonstrated superior execution on offense and defense, holding the Reddies (14-14, 6-8 GAC) to a .000 hitting percentage for the match.
Harding’s offense finished with the team hitting percentage of .317 and committed only nine errors on 101 total attacks.
Olivia Wiedower, orchestrated the offense finishing the night with 35 assists and 11 digs to capture a double-double.
Josie Bishop led all players with 12 kills on a .321 hitting percentage. Rauly Eason was highly effective, tallying 10 kills with no errors for a team-best .526 hitting percentage, while contributing two solo blocks. Philomina Klotz also put together an outstanding performance, recording seven kills with no errors for a .500 hitting percentage.
Defensively, Carter Fouche led the team with 13 digs, while Maddie Burrough added seven digs and a match-high four service aces.
SET HIGHLIGHTS
Set 1 (Harding 25, Henderson State 11): The Lady Bisons set the tone immediately, hitting a scorching .440 in the first set. After taking 9-5 lead, the Lady Bisons used a massive 7-0 run, highlighted by a Bishop service ace and four kills to extend the lead to 16-5. The run was too much for Henderson State to overcome. Harding had three straight kills to win the set 25-11.
Set 2 (Harding 25, Henderson State 15): Harding’s defense kept the pressure on, holding the Reddies to a -.021 hitting percentage. The Lady Bisons quickly built a 6-0 lead behind the serving of Avery Stanfill, which included two kills from Lambert. The lead widened to 16-7 following a kill by Philomina Klotz. Though Henderson State briefly rallied, a kill by Bishop helped key a final run, and a Klotz kill closed the 25-15 win.
Set 3 (Harding 25, Henderson State 16): The Lady Bisons continued their relentless attack, maintaining their offensive consistency with a .300 hitting percentage in the third set. After a brief tie 11-11, Harding pulled away going on a 5-0 run on four kills to lead 16-11. The Reddies committed four attack errors in the final points. A final kill from Klotz sealed the 25-16 set win and the sweep.
Harding’s defense was spectacular, holding Henderson State to 26 kills while forcing 26 errors. The team finished with 54 digs.
Harding will be back in action Tuesday when it hosts Southern Arkansas at 6 p.m., on senior night. The senior day ceremony will be after the match.