By Cade Kennedy, Sports Editor
Despite losses to Oklahoma Baptist and Southwestern, the Northwestern volleyball team clinched a spot in the Great American Conference tournament.
On Friday night, the Lady Rangers played the Bison of Oklahoma Baptist with a shot at the GAC tournament on the line.
The Lady Rangers got off to a blazing start against the Bison by scoring the first three points of the game, but the Bison rallied to tie the set at 8-8. After tying the set, the Bison went on a 5-0 run to take control of the first set. The Lady Rangers clawed back but lost the first set, 25-18.
The second set featured another big stretch for Oklahoma Baptist, as the Bison went on an 8-0 late in the set to go up 2-0. The Bison used another run to win the match, as a 6-0 run late in the third set gave the Bison a 3-0 win over Northwestern.
Despite the loss, the Lady Rangers still clinched a spot in the tournament. Arkansas Tech defeated Southern Arkansas earlier in the week, which eliminated the Muleriders from the postseason and put the Lady Rangers in the postseason.
On Tuesday, the Lady Rangers played their final home game of the season against Southwestern.
The Bulldogs dominated Northwestern in the first set, as Southwestern jumped out to an 11-3 lead before rolling to a 25-15 win. The second set was the exact opposite, as the Lady Rangers used an 8-0 run to take the second set, 25-15.
The third set went back-and-forth between the two teams, but the Bulldogs pulled away late to win the third set, 25-20.
The Lady Rangers struggled in the fourth set, as the unrelenting Bulldogs kept racking up points to win the match, 3-1.
The Lady Rangers travel to Ada for the last game of the regular season to take on East Central Friday at 6 p.m.
The GAC tournament begins on Nov. 10, when the top eight teams in the conference play at FireLake Arena in Shawnee.