HOT SPRINGS – Ouachita Baptist capped its historic run at the 2024 Great American Conference Volleyball Championships with a three-set victory against second-seeded Harding on Saturday from Bank OZK Arena.

The Tigers (22-9) became the lowest seed, five, to win the league’s volleyball title. They became the first to defeat three higher seeds en route to the title. Additionally, they joined Arkansas Tech, in 2021, as just the second team to defeat both the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in one year. The became the first first-time champion of the event since Oklahoma Baptist won for the first time in 2019.

The opening set saw Ouachita take an early 13-8 lead. Harding (22-9) answered by tallying seven of the subsequent eight points. Trailing 19-17, the Tigers rattled off seven consecutive points – four on Riley Braziel kills – to advance to set point. After four-straight points from the Lady Bisons, Braziel closed out the set with another kill.

A 10-3 spurt early in the second set put the Lady Bisons in front, 12-8. They maintained the three-point lead until the Tigers closed out the set with 11 of the final 15 points. Haley Fairchild scored two kills and a solo block. Braziel collected two more kills, as did Leah Gardner.

After eight ties early in the third set, the Tigers closed out the match in grand fashion – scoring 13 of the final 17 points – for a 25-16 set victory. Braziel scored three points -two kills plus an ace – and Gardner put the finishing touches on the championship victory with kills for the final two points.

Courtney Hanson captured Tournament MVP honors after averaging 12.08 assists and 4.83 digs per set in the three victories. On Saturday, she finished with 41 assists and 18 digs. Avery Jauz and Braziel joined Hanson on the All-Tournament Team. Jauz collected 25 digs against the Lady Bison and averaged 7.33 per set during the tournament. Her 88 total digs rank as the second-most in a single GAC Championship. Braziel led the Tigers with 13 kills.

Harding’s Tatum Fouche and Delaney Garner received All-Tournament honors. Fouche finished with 23 digs on Saturday and Garner registered nine kills. East Central’s Odalys Gonzalez and Southwestern Oklahoma State’s Lacy Mott filled out the seven member team.

The Tigers secure their first appearance in the NCAA Division II Championships in program history. They learn their opponent during Monday’s selection show. It streams on NCAA.com at 6:30 p.m. on Monday.

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PINE BLUFF – The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Director of Athletics Chris Robinson announced today the hiring of Gabrielle Floyd as the eighth head coach in the history of UAPB Volleyball.

Floyd comes to Golden Lions Nation from Texas Southern University, where she spent last year as the head coach.  Prior to her promotion, she spent more than 10 years as the associate head coach/ recruiting coordinator, where they won three SWAC Western Division Championship.

Under her guidance at Texas Southern, Floyd played a significant role in landing two-student athletes on the All-SWAC Team. Danielle Lilley Spring 2021 SWAC Preseason Volleyball Second-Team and Thalia Cordero Moreno named to the 2021 All-SWAC First-Team.

“We are excited to welcome Coach Floyd and her family to UAPB,” Robinson said. “She is a dynamic teacher and recruiter and has a great vision for UAPB Volleyball. She has a true passion for the game and is known for her work ethic, competitive spirit, and commitment to creating a positive student-athlete experience.”

Floyd took over the program in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic in June of 2020 and had to navigate the challenges of managing a program through uncertain times. She was awarded an academic award for maintaining a minimum 3.0 Team GPA by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). Floyd managed to guide the Lady Tigers through the historic spring season in 2021 as they clinched a SWAC Tournament berth.

A native of Missouri City, Texas, Floyd is a former two-sport athlete at TSU as she played both volleyball and tennis. In 2001, Floyd was an All-SWAC Preseason First Team honoree and co-captain as a senior on the volleyball court. She led the Tigers to a divisional championship and top seed in the SWAC Tournament as she ranked third on the team in kills (213) while finishing tied for third in the SWAC in digs (270). As a result of her play on the court that season, Floyd earned SWAC Player of the Week honors and was named Second Team All-SWAC while earning SWAC All-Tournament honors. In 2000, Floyd finished with 228 digs and was second on the team as a sophomore in 1999 with 222 digs while amassing 135 kills in 97 games and 21 aces. Floyd capped off her storied collegiate volleyball career by earning several All-Tournament awards, including MVP honors.

After graduating in 2002, Floyd spent three seasons as a graduate assistant at Texas Southern and was promoted to assistant coach in 2005. As an assistant coach, Floyd has played a major role in the progression of the volleyball program during her tenure. In 2013, she helped lead TSU to its first winning season since 2001 while also winning three SWAC West Titles and a pair of appearances in the SWAC Tournament Championship match. She has had 15-plus student-athletes earn All-SWAC honors under her watch.

In addition to serving on the coaching staff for the past decade, Floyd served on the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Assistant Coaches Committee (ACC) as the SWAC Representative. She was also a full-time professor in the Department of Health, Kinesiology & Sport Studies and has served on several committees within the department and for the College of Education.

“I would like to thank Chancellor Dr. Alexander, Athletic Director, Chris Robinson, and the Senior Woman Administrator, Betty Anthony for entrusting me with the volleyball program here at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff,” Floyd said. “I am excited to begin this journey as the new head volleyball coach. I want to build a program that the UAPB community would be proud of. We have a great group of student-athletes that are ready to be champions on the court, in the classroom, and in life. I look forward to building relationships with the UAPB community, alumni, faculty, staff, and students to help make our dreams a reality.”

Floyd graduated in 2002 from TSU with a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Affairs and holds a Master of Science degree in Health Education from TSU. She’s a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and volunteers at student leadership and growth events across the Houston area. Coach Floyd and her husband, Quantas, a former student-athlete and alumnus of Texas Southern, have a daughter and future student-athlete, Alexandrea.

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MAGNOLIA – Southern Arkansas University Director of Athletics Steve Browning has announced that Alli O’Banion has been named the tenth head coach of the Mulerider Volleyball program. The official announcement was made at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, December 8. It is a homecoming of sorts for O’Banion who enjoyed a successful playing career as a right side/middle hitter for the Muleriders from 2014 to 2017.

“Our committee did an outstanding job orchestrating an extensive search in finding our next head coach of the Mulerider Volleyball program,” Browning said. “We are very familiar with Alli’s playing career and the success she had as a Mulerider, but it was also important for us to see the success she has had since leaving Magnolia. She encompasses who we are here at SAU and she understands what it means to be a Mulerider. We are very excited to bring her back home.”

Introduced for official collegiate competition in 1977, the Mulerider Volleyball program has amassed 689 wins and won four conference championships. O’Banion’s appointment as the newest leader of Mulerider Volleyball makes her the ninth head coach in the program’s NCAA Era (1995-96).

“I’d like to thank Dr. Berry and Coach Browning for giving me the opportunity to be the next head coach of SAU volleyball,” remarked O’Banion on Wednesday afternoon. “I am excited and eager to return to Mulerider Country and I look forward to working with these young athletes to start building a strong and competitive Mulerider Volleyball program.”

O’Banion’s most recent stop on her journey back to Magnolia was at NJCAA Division II Northeastern Oklahoma A&M where she served as head coach of the Lady Norse in 2020 and 2021. During her time in Miami, O’Banion led NEO to a combined record of 32-17, including an 18-9 mark this past fall, while garnering back-to-back NJCAA Region II titles. She mentored two NJCAA All-Region II performers and an NJCAA Division II All-American in her two seasons.

Prior to becoming a head coach, O’Banion was an assistant coach at Great American Conference rival Ouachita for two seasons. Primarily working with hitters and blockers, O’Banion  aided OUA to a collective 37 wins in 2018 and 2019, including a 23-9 mark in her first year with a fourth place finish in the league’s regular season and a third place result at the conference championship.

Before returning to the Great American Conference as a coach, O’Banion spent time as an intern at Logan High School in Utah from December 2017 through May 2018. She assisted the athletic department in game day operations, while working alongside the athletic director, head strength and conditioning coach and volleyball coach. During that time, she coached club volleyball at Cache Valley Volleyball Club.

A three-time All-Great American Conference Honorable Mention selection, a one-time league defensive player of the week, and a 2017 GAC All-Academic honoree as a Mulerider, O’Banion’s four seasons at Southern Arkansas were memorable. The central California native was a part of 51 wins and two conference tournament teams, including the 2015 squad which reached the GAC Tournament finals for the first time in program history.

In her time as a Mulerider, O’Banion played in a program-best 470 career sets making 107 starts in 126 matches played; the second-most all-time. She is one of just two players in the program’s rally scoring era to eclipse 1,000 kills and 300 total blocks in a career. Her career totals in kills (1,023), total blocks (314), total points (1,208.0) and attack attempts (2,783) all rank third all-time in program history, while her 274 career block assists are the most ever by a Mulerider. As a senior, O’Banion became the eighth player in Great American Conference Volleyball history to reach 1,000 career kills and the seventh to record 300 total blocks.

The lone Mulerider to receive All-GAC recognition three times, O’Banion capped her playing career in Magnolia with 34 double-figure kill performances and 56 matches with at least 3.0 total blocks. In the final two matches of her career she produced attack percentages of .361 and .311 respectively to vault herself into the top ten all-time in career attack percentage at .201.

In May of 2018, O’Banion received her Bachelor of Science in Sports Management & Human Performance from Southern Arkansas University. Two years later, she earned a Master of Science in Sports Administration from Henderson State University.

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POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. – The Lyon College volleyball team and College of the Ozarks squared off for the second time within a week on Tuesday night. After College of the Ozarks won the first meeting in four sets this past Saturday, Lyon College got the best of the Lady Bobcats in the rematch as the Scots won a five-set thriller (17-25, 25-15, 20-25, 25-23, 15-8).

The Scots improved to 7-3 with the win, while CofO fell to 5-2.

College of the Ozarks rallied back from an early 9-6 deficit in the first set and took a 21-13 against the Scots. Lyon College tried to rally back late as Maria Eleni Bampiri and Layne Smith recorded a kill each but the Lady Bobcats took set one, 25-17.

The script flipped in the second set as the Scots used an 8-1 run late in the game and took a 23-10 lead over the Lady Bobcats following a kill by Isabella Beasley. After a pair of kills by CofO, Bampiri finished off the set with a kill of her own as the Scots won game two, 25-15.

The Scots held a 13-11 lead midway through the third set but the Lady Bobcats worked their way back into the set and tied the game at 20-20. CofO finished the set on a 5-0 run and won game three, 25-20.

Once again, the Scots found themselves with a lead midway through the fourth set as a kill by Samantha Ferguson put Lyon ahead, 14-9. From there, the Lady Bobcats used a 7-0 run and overtook the lead, 16-14. The Scots were able to weather the storm and regained the lead, 17-16, on an ace by Erin Haigwood. The fourth set finished as a seesaw battle but the Scots came away with a 25-23 win to force a fifth set.

The Scots dominated the fifth set. After a kill by Paeton Tucker broke a 4-4 tie, the Scots did not look back from there and ended the set on a 10-4 run and earned a 15-8 win in the fifth set.

Ferguson and Tucker led the Scots offensively with 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Adia Sherbeyn and Haigwood were both strong defensively as the duo finished with 27 and 21 digs, respectively, while Stephanie Tucker added 12 digs as well. Laney Blankenship and Layla Wilson contributed 24 and 20 assists, respectively.

The Scots will return home and host Crowley’s Ridge College on Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. inside Becknell Gymnasium.

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BLUE MOUNTAIN, Miss. – Opening their regular season on the road this evening, Central Baptist College volleyball took on the Toppers of Blue Mountain College. CBC (0-1) did not hit the ball well, posting a hitting percentage of -.050 in a 3-0 loss to BMC (7-4) by scores of 18-25, 13-25, 10-25.

Presley Hamric led the way in kills with six while Molly Murphy had eight assists and Mikayla Lawrence posted 12 digs. CBC had three service aces and six blocks, but Blue Mountain was able to post six aces and five blocks on the match.

Next up for the volleyball team is a trip to Little Rock on Thursday night for a match with Philander Smith. First serve from Mims Gymnasium is slated for 5 p.m. and you can follow the action if you like and follow @gocbcmustangs on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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BATESVILLE – The Lyon College volleyball team looked to keep its undefeated record intact as they faced a quality opponent in Bethel (Tenn.) on Tuesday night. The Scots hung tough with the Wildcats but suffered their first loss of the season, 3-0 (18-25, 21-25, 18-25).

Bethel improved to 4-1 with the win, while the Scots fell to 4-1.

With the score tied at 8-8 in the first set, Bethel began to gain some separation as the Wildcats took a 20-14 lead over the Scots. Paeton Tucker and Isabella Beasley collected a kill each late in the set for the Scots, but the Wildcats took game one, 25-18.

Neither side could gain an advantage over the other in the second set as the score remained within a point until a kill by Dominika Skoneczna gave the Wildcats a 17-15 lead. A kill by Samantha Ferguson pulled the Scots back within a point, 19-18, shortly after, but Bethel closed out the set on a 6-3 run and took game two, 25-21.

A 9-2 run by Bethel in the third set proved to be the difference in the game as the Wildcats found themselves ahead, 18-11. The Scots cut the deficit to five late in the set after a pair of errors by Bethel and a kill by Layne Smith, but a pair of kills by the Wildcats gave the visitors the three-set victory.

Natalia Szymanska led Lyon offensively with seven kills, while Adia Sherbeyn highlighted the Scots defensively with a team-high 10 digs. Layla Wilson dished out a team-high 13 assists.

The Scots will return to action this weekend as they will host the Highlander Invitational on Friday and Saturday. The Scots will open up their two-day invitational on Friday at 2 p.m. against Centenary College.

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LITTLE ROCK – The Lyon College volleyball team ended its stay at the Philander Smith College Tournament with a pair of sweeps over Wiley College and Jarvis Christian College on Saturday afternoon.

With the two wins, the Scots improved their record to 4-0 to begin the season.

Match One: Lyon 3, Wiley College 0 (27-25, 25-22, 28-26)

The Scots came away with a win in three tightly-contested sets to begin the day against Wiley College. Lyon and Wiley kept the first set within two points the entire way as a block by Charm Henderson and Maria Eleni Bampiri broke a 25-25 tie and gave the Scots a one-point lead. Layla Wilson finished off the set with an ace as the Scots took game one, 27-25.

The Scots found themselves trailing, 13-9, midway through the second set before a kill by Samantha Ferguson tied the score at 16-16. The momentum shifted in the Scots’ favor from there as Lyon pulled ahead, 24-17, on a kill by Paeton Tucker. WC made things interesting late, however, and pulled back within three, 24-21, before Bampiri put down a kill and gave the Scots a 25-21 win in set two.

Lyon looked as if it would run away with the third set as the Scots jumped out to a 9-4 lead on a kill by Tucker but Wiley College pulled its way back into the set and tied the score a 24-24. The two teams went on to exchange the lead but a kill by Henderson and an attack error by WC sealed the victory for the Scots.

Szymanska led the Scots offensively with a match-high 12 kills, while Adia Sherbeyn collected a match-high 13 digs. Layla Wilson dished out a match-high 21 assists in the win for the Scots.

Match Two: Lyon 3, Jarvis Christian College (25-12, 25-14, 27-25)

Lyon College ran away with the first two sets, winning by scores of 25-12 and 25-14, but Jarvis Christian kept it close against the Scots in the third set. The Scots found themselves with a comfortable, 15-9, lead, but JCC worked its way back into the set and overtook the lead, 18-17. Jarvis Christian extended its lead to 24-20 but the Scots came up with a rally of their own and knotted the score at 24-24. The two teams traded a point each before a kill by Henderson and Katelyn Vanlandingham gave the Scots a 27-25 win in the third set.

Szymanska once again led the Scots with a match-high eight kills while Isabella Beasley added seven. Sherbeyn totaled a match-high eight digs, while Erin Haigwood added six digs. Wilson and Laney Blankenship finished with 19 and 17 assists, respectively.

The Scots will return to the court on Tuesday when they take on Bethel in their home opener at 6 p.m.

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ATU Athletics

LEXINGTON, Ky. – For the fourth-straight year, the Arkansas Tech volleyball team has earned the AVCA Team Academic Award as the American Volleyball Coaches Association announced their annual team academic awards. Additionally, for the third-straight year the Golden Suns’ collective team GPA was among the top 20% of all NCAA Division II, earning them inclusion on the AVCA Team Academic Honor Roll.

“We always tell our players they are called student-athletes for a reason – student comes first. One thing we think is super neat about our team is that they really do value their academics and push each other every day,” remarked head coach Kera Dukic. “The culture in the locker room involves academics too – they know when each other has a big test or a big assignment and they ask each other about it. It’s a really neat thing and we’re so proud of them!”

The Team Academic Award, which was initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors collegiate and high school volleyball teams that displayed excellence in the classroom during the school year by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average on a 4.0 scale or a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a 5.0 scale. This year’s Honor Roll distinction was bestowed upon the volleyball teams with GPAs in the top 20% of their division.

The Suns are coming off their third-straight winning season under head coach Kera Dukic and are preparing to open their 2021 season at the Dallas Baptist Invitational the weekend of September 3-4

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RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – With the 2021 Great American Conference spring volleyball regular season complete, the league announced the bracket and schedule for the GAC Volleyball Championships. The event begins on Tuesday from four on-campus locations.

Tuesday’s first-round games and Thursday’s quarterfinal matchups feature divisional foes facing each other. The four semifinalists will head to one location – the highest-remaining seed – for Saturday’s and Sunday’s contests. In the event corresponding seeds make the semifinals, the Eastern Division representative would host the semifinals and final.

On the western half of the draw, Northwestern Oklahoma State hosts Southeastern Oklahoma State and Southern Nazarene visits East Central. In the regular season, the Rangers won both meetings against the Savage Storm in three-set sweeps while the Tigers defeated the Crimson Storm in three sets at home and in five sets on the road. Both games start at 7 p.m.

On the eastern portion, Arkansas-Monticello welcomes Ouachita while Henderson State faces Southern Arkansas. The Blossoms earned two four-set victories against the Tigers. The Reddies also defeated the Muleriders twice, in four sets at home and in three sets in Magnolia.

In Thursday’s quarterfinals, Oklahoma Baptist takes on the East Central-Southern Nazarene winner; Southwestern Oklahoma State plays Northwestern Oklahoma State and Southeastern Oklahoma State victor; Harding gets the advancing school between Arkansas-Monticello and Ouachita and Arkansas Tech draws the Henderson State-Southern Arkansas winner.

Hosting institutions will provide streaming coverage for the first two rounds. The GAC Sports Network broadcast Saturday’s semifinal and Sunday’s final. For complete coverage and additional information, visit the Volleyball Championship Central page.

GAC VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET

First Round: Tuesday, Apr. 6
G1: West #6 Southeastern Oklahoma State at West #3 Northwestern Oklahoma State, 7 p.m.
G2: West #5 Southern Nazarene at West #4 East Central, 7 p.m.
G3: East #6 Southern Arkansas at East #3 Henderson State, 6:30 p.m.
G4: East #5 Ouachita at East #4 Arkansas-Monticello, 6:00 p.m.

Quarterfinals: Thursday, Apr. 8
G5: Winner G1 at West #2 Southwestern Oklahoma State, 6:00 p.m.
G6: Winner G2 at West #1 Oklahoma Baptist, 6:00 p.m.
G7: Winner G3 at East #2 Arkansas Tech, 6:00 p.m.
G8: Winner G4 at East #1 Harding, 6:00 p.m.

Semifinals: Saturday, Apr. 10 (site, time to be determined)
G9: Winner G5 vs. Winner G8
G10: Winner G6 vs. Winner G7

Championship: Sunday, Apr. 11 (site, time to be determined)
G11: Winner G9 vs. Winner G10

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RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Great American Conference announced the league’s Volleyball Players of the Week for the third week of the 2021 spring season. Arkansas-Monticello’s Katelyn Richbourg and Katie Pearson garnered the Defensive Player and Setter awards while Harding’s Libby Hinton earned the Offensive honor.

GAC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Libby Hinton, Harding, MB, So., Glen Rose, Texas

Hinton led the Lady Bisons in a three-set victory against Southern Nazarene. She registered a season-high 11 kills with a season-high .529 attack percentage. She averaged 4.00 points per set. Harding improved to 3-0 and extended its win streak against Southern Arkansas to nine

GAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Katelyn Richbourg, Arkansas-Monticello, DS, Jr., Magnolia, Arkansas

Richbourg spearheaded a stout defensive effort for the Blossoms in their four-set win against Ouachita on Tuesday. She recorded 41 digs as the Tigers produced just a .085 attack percentage. She became the second player in GAC history to tally at least 40 digs in a four-set contest.

GAC SETTER OF THE WEEK – Katie Pearson, Arkansas-Monticello, Sr., Kansas City, Missouri

Pearson helped the Blossoms end an 11-match losing streak to Ouachita as she recorded 48 assists in the four-set win on Tuesday. The 48 assists represented her career high for a three- or four-set match. After hitting a combined .065 in its first two matches, Arkansas-Monticello hit .257 against Ouachita.

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