The Lady Bisons volleyball team has been riding high recently, winning five straight contests, including the first three of their four-game road trip which concluded Thursday, Oct. 23, against Henderson State in Arkadelphia, Ark. Results were not available as of press time.
The Lady Bisons have been led by senior outside hitter Marindia Turner and senior middle blocker Liv Savage, who both have more than 200 kills on the season, as well as sophomore Sara Smith, who leads the Great American Conference (GAC) in hitting at .340 percentage. Setting them up all season long has been senior Taryn Eubank, who leads the GAC in assists with 10.25 per set.
“I think we’re just getting into the heart of our season, and everybody knows that winning is kind of a high priority right now,” Turner said. “So we’re doing a really good job of just working together for that goal.”
Harding’s match on Tuesday against Southern Arkansas University was a nail-bitter that went to a fifth set, which they ultimately won 3-2 (25-27, 25-21, 13-25, 25-23, 15-10). Turner came up huge, notching 15 kills and chipping in 11 digs to claim her eighth double-double of the season. Junior Erica Heim and sophomore defensive specialist Anna Leigh Cargile carried the defensive load. Heim set a new career high in digs with 24 and Cargile continued her solid play contributing 22 digs, her second straight game of 20 or more.
The win puts the Lady Bisons at 15-6 overall and 9-2 in Great American Conference play, good for second place in the GAC standings. They have clinched a berth in the GAC Tournament in Hot Springs, Ark., Nov. 13-15.
“I just think we’re really coming together as a team, which we struggled at the beginning of the year,” Turner said. “Everyone was just trying to find their role, and I feel like everyone has figured it out now.”
Turner’s feelings reflect the statistics in this case, as Harding is near the top of the GAC in multiple categories. The Lady Bisons rank first in the GAC in digs (18.26 per set) and second in hitting percentage (.221), assists (12.46 per set) and kills (13.59 per set).
It seems as though the team may be coming together at the perfect time, as Arkansas Tech visits the Rhodes Field House on Tuesday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m. for “Fright Night,” where the Lady Bisons will look to avenge a 3-2 early season defeat at the hands of the Golden Suns.
