WEATHERFORD – In a matchup of the top two teams in the Great American Conference standings, SWOSU Volleyball came out on top over Harding 3-1 to conclude an undefeated week of action.
SWOSU's victory halts Harding's 29-match conference winning streak that dated back to the 2021 season.
The Bulldogs move to 7-2 in GAC play and are tied with Oklahoma Baptist for second place, while Harding now sits at 8-1 but still atop the standings.
On Friday, the Bulldog defense limited Harding to .080 hitting as a team making it two consecutive nights of holding an opponent under the .100 threshold. It's the lowest team total hitting percentage the Bisons have posted all year, courtesy of the Dawgs.
Sticking with the defensive theme, SWOSU's 12 blocks is the fourth highest total of the season. They did it with a consistent three in each set behind solid efforts from Zoey Sparks, Maddie Clark, and Hailey Smith. The Bulldogs have had double-digit blocks in over 50 percent of matches this season.
When the ball did get past the block, Lacy Mott and Jada Permenter seemed to always be there. Both finished with 26 digs. For Permenter, 26 represents the highest four-set dig total of her first season in Bulldog Blue while for Mott, 26 sets a new career high.
Mott coupled her defense with a team high 15 kills on 36 attacks (.306) and got matched by Taryn Galt (.209) who set her career high with the same kill number.
The Bulldogs claimed sets one, two, and four in controlling fashion. SWOSU ran away with set one 25-16 and edged the Bisons in the second 25-22 to jump out to a commanding 2-0 lead in the match. Through those first pair of sets, the Bulldogs did not allow Harding to lead at any point.
A late Harding run in the third set allowed them to avoid the sweep. They trailed 21-17 before rattling off six straight points and eight of the final 10 to steal the set.
They then jumped back out to an 8-2 lead in the fourth with their renewed energy before SWOSU made their run. Trailing 11-7, Cameron Turner served the Bulldogs to an 18-11 lead after a huge 11-0 run that completely flipped momentum. From there, the Dawgs inched to the finish line.
Final, 3-1 Bulldogs.
The schedule doesn't get any easier. SWOSU will break again one final time next week for a non-conference matchup with the defending national champion. No. 5-ranked West Texas A&M visits Weatherford on Tuesday, October 17 for a 6:00 pm matchup.
They'll close out the week with another Thursday/Friday Arkansas road trip to face Arkansas-Monticello and Southern Arkansas.
