HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – SWOSU Volleyball fell to No. 2-seed Harding 3-1 in its quarterfinal matchup on Thursday, eliminating the Dawgs from the GAC Tournament and concluding their season.

The Bulldogs dug themselves a hole by falling behind two sets to start the match, but battled to take the third set and keep their tournament hopes alive. Harding proved to be too much however and controlled the fourth and final set to shut SWOSU's comeback attempt down.

SWOSU struggled to find its groove offensively in the opening set, posting a negative hitting percentage against the Harding defense. Both sides kept balls alive on defense in the early going resulting in long rallies, but it was Harding who settled in offensively to hit .202 for the frame while SWOSU continued its woes after tallying just eight kills and 11 errors. The Dawgs eventually were doubled up in the first set, falling 25-12.

SWOSU improved offensively in the second set after collecting three more kills than Harding in the frame, but eight errors compared to Harding's two proved to be a difference maker. Back-to-back kills from Valerie Vermillion and Danusia Sipa Borgeaud had the Dawgs within three at 13-10 towards the midway point of the match, but Harding would answer with four of the next five points to push their lead back out to six where it would hover the remainder of the way. Trailing 21-16, the Lady Bisons scored four of the final five points and finished the second set off 25-17.

In the third, the Bulldogs built an early lead and led HU 10-4 before Harding called its first timeout of the match. Following the break, the Lady Bisons stormed back to tie the set up at 10-10 and for the rest of the frame the teams battled. Still tied 20-20, Kodee Avery came up with a block and a finessed tip down the line that just stayed inbounds for the point – giving SWOSU instant momentum and a 22-20 lead. An ensuing service ace from Allie Hoangcontinued the momentum and kills from Vermillion and Sipa Borgeaud finalized the 25-23 set victory that kept SWOSU alive in the match.

Harding quickly shut SWOSU's momentum down in what would be the fourth and final set. The Lady Bisons jumped out to a double digit lead at 17-7 and kept the Bulldogs at bay with blocks at the net. Similar to the first set, the Dawgs posted just eight kills while committing eight errors compared to HU's 14 kills and just three errors. Harding would go on to win the frame 25-13 and oust SWOSU from the postseason in the process.

SWOSU was led by Danusia Sipa Borgeaud who posted 15 kills, while Allie Hoang and Kodee Avery both spent time at setter and collected 21 and 15 assists respectively. At the service line, it was Hoang who served three aces to lead the way and at the net SWOSU was led by DeLayni Fine who put up three blocks in the match.

"We just ran into a Harding team that played good today," Head Coach Josh Collins said following the match. "They countered everything we had and just outplayed us today. I can't say enough how proud I am of this team, we battled all year and overcame things that we maybe shouldn't have. We're going to miss DeLayni and Lindsey and I wish we could have ended it differently for the pair of them."

SWOSU Volleyball ends the year with a 13-20 overall record. They will return all but two players to the roster next season, losing DeLayni Fine and Lindsey McCauley to graduation.