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Oklahoma Baptist (21-4) at SWOSU Tuesday, October 15, 6 pm

Henderson State (3-13, 0-6 GAC) at SWOSU Friday, October 18, 6 pm

Ouachita Baptist (8-6, 2-4 GAC) at SWOSU Saturday, October 19, 1 pm

Weekly Notes (pdf)
 
Setting the Scene
      After playing just three of their first 21 matches this season on their home turf, the SWOSU volleyball hosts three matches this week, beginning a stretch with eight of their final 12 contests being played at Rankin Williams Fieldhouse.
      The Bulldogs are 3-0 at home so far this season but will face a tough test in Oklahoma Baptist, a team that has already racked up 21 wins this season. On the weekend, SWOSU will welcome a pair of conference foes to Weatherford. The Bulldogs host Henderson State on Friday evening and Ouachita Baptist on Saturday afternoon.

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Previous Meetings
      SWOSU has faced Oklahoma Baptist twice in volleyball, suffering to defeats at the hands of the Bison. OBU came to Weatherford in 2011 and won a five-set match late in the season before the Bulldogs returned the trip last year and lost in four sets.
      Henderson State and SWOSU have faced off five times with the Bulldogs winning the last four meetings. The Bulldogs and Reddies first met in SWOSU's inaugural season of 2005 and they've played each other three times in the last two years as members of the Great American Conference, with SWOSU winning each meeting.
      After Ouachita Baptist swept the season series between the two teams in 2011, SWOSU returned the favor with a pair of victories last year. SWOSU went to OBU in the regular season and picked up a four-set win before claiming the program's first-ever postseason victory over the Tigers in the GAC Tournament.
 
The Coaches
      Josh Collins is in his second season as the head volleyball coach at SWOSU after serving as an assistant the previous seven seasons. His first team finished 13-20 overall but rallied for a 10-4 conference record, finishing fourth in the Great American Conference. He is currently 20-34 as the Lady Bulldogs head man but 13-6 in GAC contests.
      Anna Howle has been the head coach of Oklahoma Baptist since 2008. The 2011 Sooner Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, Howle has been featured as an AVCA "Thirty Under 30" and she has coached the team to a pair of record 31-win seasons.
      Now in her 24th season as the Henderson State head coach, Rhonda Thigpen has become one of the winningest coaches in NCAA Division II volleyball history. She has become a legend at Henderson State and has built a strong volleyball tradition compiling a record of 477-377 ranking her 15th among Division II active coaches in wins.
      Ouachita Baptist alum, Danny Prescott, is in his ninth season as the Tigers head coach. In his time at OBU, Prescott has accumulated a record of 119-163.
 
Last Time Out
       The final tournament play of the season came to an end for SWOSU volleyball on Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs ended up going winless for the weekend at the Missouri Southern Invitational following a three-set loss to Northwest Missouri State and a four-set defeat at the hands of Pittsburg State.
 
Player of the Week
      Southwestern Oklahoma State University junior Joey Collins has been named the Great American Conference's Offensive Player of the Week for her efforts in helping SWOSU to a 2-1 record last week.
      Collins came off the bench in Tuesday's 3-1 loss at Southern Nazarene to record her fifth double-double of the season. She finished with 10 kills and 11 digs despite playing in just two sets of the match.
      Her best effort of the week came against Southern Arkansas on Friday evening. Collins finished with 22 kills against the Lady Muleriders, the third-most in school history and the most in a four-set match.
      The streak quickly turned to a winning streak as SWOSU defeated Arkansas-Monticello on Saturday morning. Collins had 15 kills and hit .209 for the match, helping the Bulldogs to a four-set victory.
      For the week, Collins put down 47 kills against 16 errors in 122 attempts for a hitting percentage of .254.
 
About the Opponents
      Oklahoma Baptist comes to Weatherford with a record of 21-4 and ranked No. 9 in the NAIA Top 25 poll. The Bison are led by Kristin Pressley, a two-time NAIA National Player of the Week.
      Henderson State is 3-13 on the year and winless in conference play, but the Lady Reddies are riding a two-game winning streak after defeating Arkansas-Pine Bluff and LeMoyne-Owen College last week.
      Ouachita Baptist hits the road riding a five-game winning streak after they had won eight consecutive games. The Tigers defeated Pittsburg State, Quincy, Missouri Western and Panhandle State before opening conference play with victories at Southern Arkansas and Arkansas-Monticello.
 
Standings Check
      A week with five non-conference games left the Great American Conference standings unchanged. SWOSU is currently tied with East Central for fifth in the GAC at 3-2. Harding and Southern Nazarene are both unbeaten while Southern Arkansas and Arkansas Tech each have a half-game advantage over the Bulldogs at 4-2. Both opponents for SWOSU this weekend are under .500 in conference play.
 
Looking Ahead
            Matches next week will take SWOSU to Southeastern Oklahoma State on Tuesday and bring Harding to Weatherford to face the Bulldogs on Homecoming weekend.