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East Central (1-9, 0-1 GAC) at SWOSU (2-4, 1-0 GAC) Tuesday, September 16, 7:00 pm Weatherford, Okla. (Pioneer Cellular Event Center) Live Stats  |  Watch Live SWOSU vs. St. Edward's (5-0) Friday, September 19, 5:00 pm Goodwell, Okla. (Oscar Williams Fieldhouse) SWOSU vs. Panhandle State (0-8) Friday, September 19, 7:30 pm Goodwell, Okla. (Oscar Williams Fieldhouse)   SWOSU Weekly Notes

Setting the Scene
- SWOSU volleyball got on the winning path last week with wins over Southeastern Oklahoma State and St. Gregory's, now they host East Central on Tuesday night for their first conference game in the Pioneer Cellular Event Center
- The Bulldogs then travel to Goodwell, Okla., on Friday for a triangular with St. Edward's and Panhandle State. The match against St. Edward's begins at 5:00 pm with the nightcap against OPSU slated for 7:30 pm
- SWOSU has won three of their last four home matches against East Central, including a straight-set victory last season (Nov. 5, 2013)
- The Bulldogs and Tigers have split their season series twice in three seasons as members of the Great American Conference, with both teams winning on their home court
- SWOSU has only faced St. Edward's twice previously with the Bulldogs winning at SEU in 2007 before a neutral court loss in 2012
- Panhandle State is the opponent that SWOSU has defeated more than any other with an all-time record of 10-0 against the Aggies
- SWOSU and OPSU have not faced each other since 2010 when the Bulldogs picked up a three-set win over the Aggies
 
The Opponents
East Central
- Enters the week 1-9 (0-1 GAC) following a 1-4 weekend at the South Central Classic, a tournament they hosted on their home court
- Took Southern Nazarene to five sets before suffering a 3-2 loss in their Great American Conference opener last Tuesday
- Defeated Texas A&M-International 3-1 on Saturday for their first victory of the season
- Sarah Simpson leads the team with 95 kills (2.79/set)
 
St. Edward's
- Unblemished at 5-0 after defeating Texas A&M-International and St. Mary's last week
- Won the Flint Hills Resources Nanook Classic with two wins over Alaska Fairbanks and a three-set victory over Tiffin
- Picked fourth in the preseason Heartland Conference poll
- Six players have put down more than 20 kills and they are hitting .291 as a team
 
Panhandle State
- Seeking their first victory of 2014, entering this week with an 0-8 mark
- Six of their defeats have been in three sets, with set wins coming against University of the Southwest and Southwestern Christian
- Have played six of their eight matches on their home court
- Hitting .007 as a team despite nine players sporting a negative hitting percentage for the year
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Josh Collins (28-45, 3rd season)
- Named second head volleyball coach in SWOSU history on January 1, 2012
- Enters his third season with a 26-41 record with back-to-back 13-win seasons
- Has coached five All-GAC selections and one GAC Freshman of the Year
- SWOSU has finished fourth in the GAC in each of his seasons
 
St. Edwards: Sean Donahue (235-165, 13th season)
- In his 13th year leading the Hilltoppers and his 14th season overall as a member of the program
- Has guided St. Edwards to six Heartland Conference titles and four trips to the NCAA Division II National Tournament
- Three-time Heartland Coach of the Year (2003, 2008, 2009)
 
Panhandle State: Mike Stephens (19-142, 6th season)
- In his sixth season as head coach of the Aggies
- Previously coached at LeMoyne College and Lamar Community College
- Played collegiately as a middle hitter for Syracuse University
 
Last Time Out
- SWOSU defeated St. Gregory's 3-0 (25-8, 25-18, 25-21) last Thursday in their first match at the Pioneer Cellular Event Center
- Carly Zak finished with a season-best 15 kills to lead the Bulldogs
- Kiley Brennfoerder was very efficient with seven kills and five blocks while hitting .700
- SWOSU hit .202 as a team, their best hitting percentage of the season
- Joey Collins had a game-high 19 digs to go along with seven kills
 
Checking the Standings
- With a win over Southeastern last Tuesday, SWOSU opened the year 1-0 in GAC play
- The Bulldogs are tied with four other teams: Ouachita Baptist, Southern Nazarene, Arkansas Tech and Harding at 1-0
- East Central is one of five teams who lost their conference opener last week and they are tied for 7th in the standings
 
SWOSU Notes
- By defeating Southeastern 3-2 on Tuesday, SWOSU is 1-0 in five-set matches this year after 1-5 in such matches last season
- Earlier this season, Joey Collins became just the fourth player in SWOSU history to record more than 700 kills. She enters the week with 736 career kills, the second-most in program history
- Collins is exactly 300 kills behind Kasandra Gurtner (1,036, 2005-07), SWOSU's all-time leader in kills
- When she takes the court for her next match, Collins will become just the second player in SWOSU history to play in 100 matches. She ranks second to Kristen Kaufman in both sets and matches played as a Bulldog
- In just over a year with the Bulldogs, Carly Zak has totaled 452 kills, needing 20 more to enter the top 10 all-time list
- Zak ranks 10th in the GAC this year with 56 kills (2.67/set)
- Brandy Mader was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Midwestern State Hampton Inn-vitational in Week 1
- Mader followed that performance by averaging 9.0 assists per set in week two and a career-best match with 39 assists and 9 kills at Southeastern
- Kiley Brennfoerder moved into third place in the career blocks list at SWOSU last week. She now has 184 blocks for her career, needing 53 to surpass former teammate Alison Cole (236, 2012-13) for second
- Kaila Lancaster also moved up in all-time ranking, passing Kayla Bader (882, 2008-10) for fifth in all-time digs with 890
- Lancaster ranks sixth in the Great American Conference in digs with 85 (4.05/set)
- Kenya Williams has a team-best eight service aces this season to rank eighth in the GAC
- Shayne Haley is SWOSU's third-leading offensive threat with 35 kills (1.67/set) to date
- Brennfoerder raised her hitting percentage to .305 following her stellar week. That mark is the best among the team's top offensive threats
 
Looking Ahead
- SWOSU is on the road for a trio of Great American Conference matches next week
- The Bulldogs play at Southern Nazarene next Tuesday (Sept. 23)
- First Arkansas roadtrip takes SWOSU to Arkadelphia to face Henderson State (Sept. 26) at Ouachita Baptist (Sept. 27)