Box Score (html)
 
WEATHERFORD, Okla. – Jenny Tackett put down a career-high 15 kills to spearhead a balanced attack that enabled the SWOSU Volleyball team to take down Harding on Friday night in front of a raucous crowd at the Pioneer Cellular Event Center.
 
SWOSU won the match 3-1, taking it by set scores of 25-23, 25-18, 23-25, 25-20, and now moves into a share of first place in the conference standings with Harding and Henderson State at 7-1. The win puts an end to a trend that had never seen the Bulldogs come out on top in a four-set match played at the Pioneer Cellular Event, with a record of 0-12 in previous such matches.
 
Tackett was one of five Bulldogs with 10 or more kills in the match, leading her team to 63 kills on 209 swings, which was good for a .191 attack percentage. She combined with Sofia Gruden for five blocks for a team-high 17.5 points scored in the match. SWOSU's starting outside hitters – Danusia Sipa Borgeaud and Emily Holm – put away 11 kills apiece while the middle hitter combo of Gruden and Elizabeth McVicker each had 10 kills in the match.
 
Much of the offensive success can be attributed to a stellar performance from setter Allie Hoang, who had a strong outing with a double-double of 49 assists and 23 digs to go along with six kills – including several won on free balls at the net against the GAC's second-best blocking team.
 
While the box score was relatively balanced, SWOSU had key advantages in kills (63-to-56) and service aces (5-to-3) with two less hitting errors (23-to-25), which allowed the Dawgs to score 74 points compared to 65 by the Lady Bisons. SWOSU also held the advantage in assists (63-to-55) and digs (114-to-111), while both teams finished with six blocks in the match.
 
The offensive performance by the Bulldogs was also matched by the defense as SWOSU had five players with 10 or more digs in the match, led by 36 from Kaitlyn Dillon – who became the second player in program history to reach the 1,500-career dig plateau early in the first set. Hoang added 23 digs, while Borgeaud and Kodee Avery had 16 apiece and Klemson Lancaster added 14. Borgeaud and Dillon each had two service aces apiece, while Lancaster served up one ace of her own.
 
"I think our performance tonight was a direct reflection of the week we had in practice," SWOSU Head Coach Josh Collins said following the match. "We were focused coming into the match and we executed the game plan, which is important against a great team like Harding. It took everyone tonight, we got great work by our passes and our setters which allowed our attackers to have a strong game."
 
SWOSU improves to 14-4 on the year and 7-1 in Great American Conference play heading into another pivotal matchup on Saturday against Arkansas Tech. First serve for that match is set for 12:00 pm at the Pioneer Cellular Event Center.