... ~·· ~~;i~in1;~ season with a 26-15 overall record, the Lady Bisons volleyball team tallied its best season record in the five-year history of the program at Harding University. Coach Karyl Bailey reported that a unified team effort and emotional preparation were two of this year's squad's best characteristics. "I felt good about the season, and one of the team's strengths that made us do so well was our equal individual effort to play as a team." Bailey added that the team's success could also be attributed to its emotional preparation before each game. "We didn't have any superior players or any one dominant hitter on the team this season, but we did have a group in which I could feel confident in using every player, and that includes those who did not start." With a 5-7 AIC conference record, Harding finished fourth in the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference, trailing Ouachita Baptist University's 8-4 third place record in the conference. The Lady Bisons also gained experience by enjoying ~ success in several tournaments during the season. In one of those outings, the Ouachita Invi ta ti onal held at Ouachita University in Arkadelphia, AR, Harding powered its way to the finals, but came up short of the championship. Even though the team had no seniors to ser\:'e as anchors, several juniors surfaced to lead the netters through difficult games, having three years of experience under their belts on the Harding squad. Bailey's team was also joined by some freshmen who proved instrumental in the banner season. Several of these freshmen, who both served as setters and hitters, played for the Lady Bisons on a scholarship basis, integrating both athletic ability and academic ability. The team proved to be a stiff competitor against sturdy conference rivals such as AIC champion Arkansas Tech University, which was nationally ranked after sweeping the conference. Bailey concluded that the team had come to a new plain of competition with their best-ever season record. "We seem to be the most competitive Lady Bison team in Harding's history, and we hope that we will be able to progress as one of the top teams in the AIC conference next season." - Greg Taylor Volleyball: Front ro"".": ~alone, Bowles, Gardner, Shifflet, Mitchell, Phillipps, Demsay. Back row: Thweatt, Hightower, Willingham, Green, McAfee, Rise, Musick, Bailey - coach, Cummings. - photo by Ken Bissell. 152 Athletics Volleyball Volleyball 1987 AIC VOLLEYBALL TEAM RESULIS Arkansas Tech University . ... 12-0 Southern Ark. University ... .. . 9-3 Ouachita Baptist University ... . 8-4 Harding . ... .... ... . ....... .5-7 University of Central Ark ...... 4-8 Henderson State University .... 4-8 Hendrix College . ......... . .0-12 The great encourager. Coach Karyl Bailey claps his Lady Bison team to victory. Bailey served as head coach for the Lady Bison volleyball team since its creation five seasons ago. - photo by Hernan Rivero].
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