Weekly Notes (pdf)
Setting the Scene
Conference play picks up in week five of the SWOSU volleyball season as the Lady Bulldogs will be on the road for three games. The team will play at Southern Nazarene on Tuesday evening then head to Arkansas for the weekend to face Southern Arkansas and Arkansas-Monticello.
The Lady Bulldogs have dropped seven of their last eight matches but still only one of those losses was a conference match. At 4-9 (1-1 GAC), SWOSU sits in the middle of the pack in the Great American Conference standings.
Previous Meetings
SWOSU swept the season series against Southern Nazarene in 2012 and now trail the all-time series against the Crimson Storm 4-3. Prior to SNU joining the conference, the teams met in non-conference action each season from 2006-10.
Southern Arkansas visited Weatherford last season and defeated SWOSU 3-1 after the teams played twice in 2011, the inaugural year of the GAC. The team's split the season series in 2011 with each team winning on their home court and SWOSU defeated the Muleriders in tournament action during the 2009 season.
The series between SWOSU and UAM dates back to 2007 when the teams met twice in tournament action, splitting the meetings. As members of the GAC, the Bulldogs and Cotton Blossoms have always won when on their home court with a season split in 2011 and a SWOSU victory in Weatherford last season.
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 17-29 as the Lady Bulldogs head man but 11-5 in GAC contests.
Kevin Ingram is in his 13th season at the helm of the Southern Nazarene volleyball program in 2013. He has helped transition the Crimson Storm into NCAA Division II and holds a career record of 269-203 record.
Steven Gream is in his fourth season as the head coach at Southern Arkansas. Since taking over the program prior to the 2010 season, Gream has guided the program to a record of 68-44.
Peter Cruz, now in his second season, is the third coach in the seven-year program of the Arkansas-Monticello volleyball program. He has an 18-33 record at UAM since taking over following a stint as an assistant coach at American University.
Last Time Out
A slow start built the SWOSU volleyball team an insurmountable deficit on Tuesday night as East Central handed the Lady Bulldogs their first conference loss of the season in straight sets (23-25, 21-25, 16-25).
Carly Zak led SWOSU with 10 kills in 27 attempts while Alison Cole put down six kills in 14 attempts. As a team, the Bulldogs were held to a .087 hitting percentage after committing 18 hitting errors. Cole led SWOSU with seven assist blocks, giving the Lady Bulldogs an edge at the net with 9.0 total blocks.
The Foes
Southern Nazarene went 1-3 at the Midwestern State Inn-vitational playing the same foes that SWOSU faced. Since then, the Savage Storm have wins over St. Gregory's, Cameron, Mid-America Christian, Maryville, Southwest Assemblies of God, Dallas Baptist and Central Oklahoma along with conference wins against Northwestern Oklahoma State and Southeastern Oklahoma State. SNU is one of three teams in the GAC entering the week without a conference defeat.
Southern Arkansas is 8-4 on the year and 2-1 in GAC play, defeating Henderson State and Arkansas-Monticello with a loss at Ouachita Baptist. In non-conference action, the Muleriders have wins over Division II members Southwest Baptist, Union, West Alabama and Kentucky Wesleyan.
Arkansas-Monticello is winless in conference play with losses against Arkansas Tech, Ouachita Baptist and Southern Arkansas. The Cotton Blossoms have non-conference wins against Albany State, McKendree, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Union as part of their 7-9 overall record.
Doubled Up
Joey Collins and Breann Whitaker are the lone players for SWOSU to record a double-double during a match this season. Collins has four such performances when she has reached double figures in kills and digs while Whitaker has had three games with double digit assists and kills.
Below is a list of double-doubles by SWOSU players this season:
- Joey Collins: 11 kills, 13 digs vs. NMHU, 9/6
- Breann Whitaker: 44 assists, 13 digs vs. NMHU, 9/6
- Breann Whitaker: 45 assists, 16 digs vs. SBU, 9/13
- Joey Collins: 15 kills, 10 digs vs. SBU
- Joey Collins: 13 kills, 11 digs vs. Lindenwood, 9/14
- Joey Collins: 13 kills, 20 digs vs. NWOSU, 9/19
- Breann Whitaker: 42 assists, 13 digs vs NWOSU, 9/19
Looking Ahead
A midweek home game against Cameron on Tuesday, October 8, will get SWOSU ready for the Missouri Southern Regional Crossover in Joplin, Mo., the weekend of Oct. 11-12. At the tournament, SWOSU will face MIAA foes Missouri Western, Central Missouri, Northwest Missouri State and Pittsburg State.
