Weekly Notes (pdf)
Setting the Scene
Entering the final week of the regular season, the regular season outcome for SWOSU volleyball is very much unknown. What is a certainty is that the Bulldogs will face three opponents that they have already competed against during the 2013 season. SWOSU will return a trip to Lawton, Okla., on Tuesday to face Cameron before closing out the season at home against Southeastern Oklahoma State and Midwestern State later in the week.
The Bulldogs earned a hard-fought victory over the Aggies in Weatherford back on October 8, needing a five sets to put Cameron away after winning the first two. SWOSU went to Durant on October 22 and defeated Southeastern Oklahoma State in four set and they visited Wichita Falls for the season-opening tournament hosted by Midwestern State where they lost to the Mustangs in three sets on September 7.
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 24-39 as the Lady Bulldogs head man but 17-10 in GAC contests.
Doug Tabbert is in his third season as the head coach at Cameron after four seasons as the assistant head coach at Nebraska-Kearney. He has a career record of 32-58 at Cameron.
Jenn King was named the third head volleyball coach in Southeastern Oklahoma State history the spring of 2010. In three plus years with the Savage Storm, she has a record of 42-77. King came to Southeastern after two seasons at Saint Leo (Fla.) where the Lions amassed a 59-15 record while she handled the outside hitters and defense as an assistant.
Venera Flores-Stafford enters her 10th season at the helm of the Midwestern State volleyball program as the winningest volleyball coach in school history. She has an overall record of 168-149 at MSU and she's led the Mustangs to three 20-win seasons.
Last Time Out
An early match on Saturday morning against one of the top teams in the Great American Conference ended the two-match winning streak for SWOSU volleyball as the Bulldogs fell to Arkansas Tech in straight sets (16-25, 16-25, 19-25).
SWOSU was limited to 28 kills in the match and a .154 hitting percentage while Arkansas Tech hit .351 and had six players record six or more kills. The Golden Suns also defended well, finishing with 56 digs and five blocks.
The Bulldogs were led by
Alison Cole with eight kills and
Joey Collins with six. Cole also had a team-high two blocks while
Kenya Williams and
Kaila Lancaster each had team-high seven digs.
Breann Whitaker directed the SWOSU offense and finished with 21 assists.
Standings Check
Third through seventh places in the Great American Conference standings are currently separated by just one game in the win column. Entering the final week, Arkansas Tech is in third place at 8-4 while East Central is a half-game behind at 8-5. SWOSU is tied with Ouachita Baptist and Thursday's opponent, Southeastern Oklahoma State, at 7-6. Harding has clinched the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament next weekend while Arkansas-Monticello has secured the No. 8 seed, but there is still plenty to shake out in positions two through seven.
Senior Day
Saturday's match against Midwestern State will be the final home match for four SWOSU volleyball seniors:
Alison Cole,
Christina Darras,
Saasha Jacobson and
Breann Whitaker. All four players joined the Bulldogs prior to last season and have been key players for SWOSU the past two seasons.
Cole has set a new single-season record for total blocks with 120 and she ranks in the top ten in SWOSU volleyball history for kills, attack percentage and blocks. Darras has played in 56 matches the last two years and ranks 10th in career assist blocks at SWOSU.
Jacobson has moved into the top ten in career digs with 559 for the Bulldogs the past two seasons and she has the highest serve reception percentage in school history. Whitaker recently moved into the third in career assists at SWOSU and she ranks eighth all-time in service aces.
Headed for Hot Springs
Last summer, the Great American Conference announced that the GAC Volleyball Championships will be held in Hot Springs, Ark., and played at the Summit Arena in 2013 and 2014.
Volleyball becomes the latest GAC sport to move its championship to a neutral site, joining men's and women's basketball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's golf, baseball and softball. Hot Springs Country Club has served as the venue for the 2012 and 2013 GAC Men's and Women's Golf Championships and will again host on its two courses in 2014.
The 2013 GAC Volleyball Championships will be played next Thursday, November 21 through Saturday, November 23.
