By Jacob Ervin, Student Reporter
Northwestern Oklahoma State volleyball shocked the Great American Conference last weekend when the team finished second in the conference championship tournament.
The Lady Rangers entered the tournament ranked seventh in the conference with a record of 7-9 in conference play and record of 16-14 overall.
They were underdogs against Oklahoma Baptist in the quarterfinals on Thursday but defeated the Bison 3-1.
Northwestern volleyball is the first seventh-seed team to upset a second-seed team in GAC championships history.
The Lady Rangers had help from Addison Wimmer, who set the record for most kills in a four-set match in the GAC championship tournament with 26.
Wimmer also set the record for most kills in a season for Northwestern volleyball and became a member of the All-GAC Tournament team alongside Cameron Lobb.
After defeating Oklahoma Baptist, Northwestern advanced to the semifinals against Southwestern, the third seed in the conference.
In a five-set match, the Lady Rangers once again prevailed as the underdogs.
The Lady Rangers had strong performances from Wimmer, with 20 kills, and Lobb, with 42 assists, as well as seven blocks from Carmae Jones.
Other major contributors included the team’s middle, Ravyn Burns and Tarra Parks, who had two aces and 17 kills combined.
Following another upset, Northwestern volleyball made it to the GAC championship game for the first time since joining the conference.
The team played against the one-seeded Harding, and despite another strong opening, the Lady Rangers lost in a four-set match.
After a disappointing performance in 2021 that saw the Rangers not make it to the GAC championships, finishing second in the conference is a major turnaround for the program.
The team is expected to lose several players in the offseason who are either graduating or transferring, but expectations for the team will be high going forward, players say.