Box Score (html)
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – A dominating performance by First Team All-Great American Conference selection Carly Zak pushed No. 3-seeded SWOSU to a 3-1 (22-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-21) victory over in-state rival and No. 6-seed Northwestern Oklahoma State on Thursday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the GAC Tournament – Presented by Subway.With the win, SWOSU reached the 20-win milestone for the first time in program history. It is also just the second time in school history that the Bulldogs have secured a win in postseason play.
Zak's stellar play proved to be one for the record books. Laying down 24 kills, the junior from Wylie, Texas, tied the GAC Tournament record for kills in a match. She now sits at 415 kills for the season, the second time a Bulldog has crossed the 400-kill plateau since Kasandra Gurtner recorded 449 kills in 2007.
The Bulldogs started slowly out the gate, falling behind 8-3 in the first set. Kills by Zak and Kaya Hebert helped reduce the lead to 10-8, but the Rangers were able to keep SWOSU at arm's length before closing out the set at 25-22.
It looked like another slow start for the Dawgs in the second set, trailing 7-1 in the early going, but another three kills by Zak, coupled with timely kills by
Jill Green and
DeLayni Fine, pushed the set even at 13-13. The two sides traded scores down the stretch before four straight points broke the set open for the Dawgs. A final kill by Zak off the assist from
Kaila Lancaster secured the Bulldogs' first set and gave them the momentum heading into the third set.
SWOSU jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the third before briefly surrendering the lead.
Paige Holt and
Kelsi Schmidtberger laid down a few key kills to put the Dawgs on top, and SWOSU raced off to a 25-18 victory in the pivotal frame. Six of the last nine teams in the GAC Tournament to win the third set after being tied at 1-1 had gone on to win the match.
The trend proved itself in the fourth set, despite another early deficit for the Bulldogs. Down 10-7, kills by Holt, Zak and Schmidtberger scored SWOSU three of the next four points, and SWOSU went on a 7-0 rally soon after to hold a 16-11 advantage midway through the fourth set. Northwestern led one final time at 19-18, but another 6-1 run gave SWOSU match point at 24-21 with the Rangers serving. A service error by the Rangers gave SWOSU the final point it needed to advance to the next round.
"Our girls showed great fight to get back in the match after falling behind early," said SWOSU head coach
Josh Collins. "Carly has been locked-in all week, and that definitely showed today. Now we just need to focus on tomorrow's match."
Zak led the way with her 24 kills, hitting .321 on 56 attempts while also recording 13 digs and six block assists. Schmidtberger and Holt both also reached double figures with 10 kills apiece. The pair also combined for nine blocks. Hebert led the defense with a career-best 25 digs while dishing out 49 assists.
The Bulldogs return to action tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. to face the winner of No. 4-seed Southern Arkansas and No. 5-seed Southern Nazarene with a trip to the GAC Championship on the line.
