ENID, Okla. – SWOSU Volleyball won two tightly contested sets and pulled away late in the fourth to defeat Arkansas Tech 3-1 in Wednesday's opening round of the Great American Conference Tournament at the Stride Bank Center.
The fourth-seeded Bulldogs won 25-21, 17-25, 29-27, 25-22 to avenge a five-set regular-season loss to the fifth-seeded Golden Suns and advance to the GAC Tournament semifinals for the seventh consecutive season.
GAC Newcomer of the Year
Layla Collins powered the Bulldog offense with a match-high 21 kills, her most in a four-set match this season, and added two service aces
Jenna Houk recorded a double-double with 15 kills and 16 digs, while
Sydnee Winfrey finished with 11 kills on a team-best .276 hitting percentage and contributed five blocks.
Arkansas Tech scored the opening three points of the match and remained in front until SWOSU used a 5-0 run to take a 16-13 lead. The set was tied again at 18-18 before Collins delivered a kill and service ace during a 3-0 Bulldog response. SWOSU later used consecutive blocks to reach set point before Houk closed the 25-21 win with a kill.
The Golden Suns answered by scoring the first nine points of the second set and never relinquished the lead, evening the match with a 25-17 victory.
The third set became the turning point. Arkansas Tech again started quickly, but the Bulldogs erased an early deficit and neither side led by more than two after SWOSU pulled even at 11-11. The teams traded points deep into extra play, with the Golden Suns earning the first set-point opportunity at 25-24.
SWOSU fought it off and later moved ahead 27-26 on a Collins kill. Arkansas Tech answered once more, but Winfrey put the Bulldogs back in front before
Mackenzie Sims finished the 29-27 win with a kill.
The Bulldogs carried that momentum into the fourth, building a 19-15 advantage before Arkansas Tech rallied to tie the score at 20-20. Houk responded with four kills across SWOSU's final five points, including three during a closing 5-2 stretch that sealed the match.
Sims directed the offense with 46 assists and added 14 digs for a double-double.
Jada Permenter led the back row with 25 digs, her season high in a four-set match, while SWOSU finished with 84 as a team. The Bulldogs also held a 61-54 advantage in kills and totaled nine blocks.
SWOSU (19-10) returns to action Thursday at 5 p.m. against top-seeded Oklahoma Baptist in the GAC Tournament semifinals. The Bison advanced with a 3-0 quarterfinal victory over East Central.
