Setting the Scene
Following two weeks of tournament action, the SWOSU volleyball team will open up conference play this week facing rival Northwestern Oklahoma State on Thursday before a trip to Canyon, Texas to meet former Lone Star Conference foes Texas A&M-Kingsville and West Texas A&M.
The Lady Bulldogs are looking to get back on the winning track after suffering four defeats at the CSU-Pueblo Thunderwolves Classic. SWOSU took at least one set in each match except against No. 8-ranked Wayne State and two of the defeats went the distance.
West Texas A&M is ranked No. 15 nationally this week, giving SWOSU a ranked opponent to face for the second consecutive week.
Previous Meetings
Northwestern Oklahoma State reinstated their volleyball program prior to lost season and dropped both matches to SWOSU last season in three sets. The programs look to build the rivalry now as members of the Great American Conference that will meet twice each season.
Texas A&M-Kingsville has defeated SWOSU in four-of-five prior meetings as members of the Lone Star Conference. The teams first played in 2005 then met for four consecutive seasons from 2007-10. SWOSU's only win over the Javelinas was in 2009.
Saturday's match will be the 10th all-time between West Texas A&M and SWOSU with the Lady Buffs taking each of the previous nine. WT will become the second-most played opponent in SWOSU volleyball history in the match, joining Central Oklahoma and Panhandle State as team's the Lady Bulldogs have faced 10 times.
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 16-26 as the Lady Bulldogs head man.
Gene Krieger is in his first year at Northwestern Oklahoma State after coaching in the high school ranks in California since 2000. He also has 13 years of experience as a collegiate head coach at California Baptist and Cal Poly Pomona.
Tanya Allen enters her third season at the helm for Texas A&M-Kingsville following three seasons as head coach at Frank Phillips College in Borger, Texas. She enters the weekend with a record of 35-33 as the Javelinas head coach.
Jason Skoch is in his fifth season at West Texas A&M, where he has been very successful since taking over the program. He has a record of 139-24 as the Buffs head coach and an overall coaching record of 275-44, which includes four years as the head coach at Truman State.
Last Time Out
The second weekend of tournament action was unkind to the Lady Bulldogs as they finished 0-4 at the CSU-Pueblo Thunderwolves Classic. SWOSU dropped two matches in five sets against Southwest Baptist and Lindenwood and a four-setter to host CSU-Pueblo before falling in straight sets to No. 8 Wayne State.
The Foes
Northwestern Oklahoma State will be opening GAC play on Thursday night at SWOSU. The Rangers have played in two early-season tournaments and enter Thursday's match with a 1-7 recprd on the year. NWOSU went 0-4 at the Midwestern State Invitational against the same four teams that SWOSU finished 2-2 against. The Rangers lone victory of the season came against Mid-America Christian.
Texas A&M-Kingsville is 4-5 so far in 2013 following a 1-3 finish last weekend at the Chaps Classic in Lubbock. The Javelinas have defeated Notre Dame de Namur, Claflin, Our Lady of the Lake and UT-Permian Basin while falling against Augustana, Alaska-Anchorage, Lubbock Christian, St. Mary's and Texas A&M-International.
West Texas A&M dropped from No. 9 to No. 15 in the AVCA Top 25 Poll this week after suffering their first losses of 2013 last weekend at the Colorado Premiere. The Lady Buffs are 7-3 with victories over CSU-Pueblo, UT-Permian Basin, Western State, Lubbock Christian, UC-Colorado Springs, Adams State and Midwestern State. Two of their defeats came to ranked foes in No. 1 Tampa and No. 21 Regis.
Back-to-Back All-Tournament Teams
Despite a tough weekend for her team, SWOSU senior middle hitter
Alison Cole was named to the All-Tournament Team at the CSU-Pueblo Thunderwolves Classic.
Cole was a force for SWOSU offensively, finishing with 40 kills in four matches while hitting .167. Her number of kills ranked third on the team, but her hitting percentage was the best among the Lady Bulldogs hitting threats. Cole was also strong at the net, where she had 25 blocks (five solo, 20 assist) for an average of 1.47 per set.
For the year, Cole leads SWOSU in hitting percentage (.261) and blocks (42) while ranking third in kills (88). Her numbers also have her among the top 10 in the Great American Conference in each category.
Looking Ahead
SWOSU travels to East Central on Tuesday (Sept. 24) to open a stretch of four straight GAC road games, but have a week off after the game before going to Southern Nazarene.
