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NCAA Division II Central Region Championships Quarterfinals (8) SWOSU (22-11) vs. (1) #1 Concordia-St. Paul Thursday, December 3, 7:30 pm St. Paul, Minn. (Gangelhoff Center) Live Stats  |  Watch Live Weekly Notes (pdf)

Setting the Scene
- For the first time in their 11-year history, SWOSU Volleyball will compete in the NCAA Division II National Tournament this weekend in St. Paul, Minnesota
- The Bulldogs earned the No 8 seed in the Central Region after winning their first-ever Great American Conference Tournament Championship by defeating Southern Arkansas 3-1 on November 21
- SWOSU will face the top seed in the Central Region, Concordia-St. Paul, who is also the No. 1-ranked team in NCAA Division II and the host team of the regional
- The match will mark the first-ever meeting between the Bulldogs and Concordia-St. Paul, a national power with seven National Championships to their credit
- The Bulldogs become just the second team from the Great American Conference to advance to the NCAA Division II Tournament, joining Arkansas Tech, who was selected for the event in 2011, 2013 and 2014
- In addition to the Bulldogs, the Central Regional features four teams from the MIAA and three from the Northern Sun
- SWOSU's only match this season against a team in the tournament field was a three-set defeat at Central Oklahoma on September 19
 
The Opponents
#1 Concordia-St. Paul (27-4)
- Top-ranked team in the latest AVCA Poll that claimed both the regular season and tournament championships for the Northern Sun
- Claimed their 12th regular-season NSIC title in 13 years and they are making their 12th NCAA Tournament appearances, which include seven consecutive National Championships from 2007-13
- Three players earned All-Region honors, with Riley Hanson and Emma Lange both earning honors from the AVCA and D2CCA while Kasey Williams was an honorable mention all-region choice by the AVCA
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Josh Collins (56-71, 4th season)
- Named second head volleyball coach in SWOSU history on January 1, 2012
- Has led SWOSU Volleyball to their best season in program history in 2015, capped off by their first-ever GAC Tournament Championship
- Has coached nine All-GAC selections and one GAC Freshman of the Year in three seasons
- His teams have earned two AVCA Team Academic Awards and one GAC Sportsmanship Award
 
CSP: Brady Starkey (428-43, 13th season)
- Has built a dynasty at Concordia-St. Paul, where he won seven consecutive NCAA National Championships from 2007-13
- Led his team to 12 NSIC regular season championships and 13 NCAA Tournament appearances
- Winningest active NCAA Volleyball coach (all levels) and a three-time AVCA National Coach of the Year
 
At The National Tournament
- SWOSU will be making their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II National Tournament in 2015
- The Bulldogs are 4-4 all-time in the GAC Tournament, earning three of their victories en route to the 2015 Tournament Championship
 
Postseason Recognition
- Three players earned All-GAC recognition for the Bulldogs in OH Carly Zak (First Team), S Kayla Hebert (Second) and MH Kelsi Schmidtberger (Honorable Mention)
- The trio also earned All-Tournament Team honors at the GAC Championships with Hebert being named the Most Valuable Player
- On Wednesday, Zak became the first player in program history to earn all-region honors as she was named to the second team by D2CCA
 
SWOSU Notes
- Individual Single Season Records Update:
      • Kayla Hebert, 49 service aces (1st)
      • Carly Zak, 3.73 kills/set (1st)
      • Kayla Hebert, 1134 assists (2nd)
      • Kayla Hebert, 9.86 assists/set (2nd)
      • Kelsi Schmidtberger, .310 hitting % (2nd)
      • Carly Zak 506.5 points (2nd)
      • Carly Zak, 436 kills (2nd)
      • Kaila Lancaster, 494 digs (3rd)
      • Paige Holt, 80 block assists (4th)
      • Carly Zak, 1220 attempts (5th)
      • Kaila Lancaster, 4.15 digs/set (6th)
      • Kaila Lancaster, 35 service aces (9th)
      • Paige Holt, 96 total blocks (T-9th)
      • Carly Zak, 34 service aces (10th)
- Team Single Season Records Update:
      • Attack Percentage: .216 (1st)
      • Service Aces: 198 (1st)
      • Total Blocks: 222.0 (2nd)
      • Assists/Set: 11.59 (3rd)
      • Digs: 2,019 (3rd)
      • Kills/Set: 12.53 (3rd)
      • Blocks/Set: 1.85 (3rd)
      • Digs/Set: 16.83 (3rd)
      • Kills: 1,504 (3rd)
      • Assists: 1,391 (3rd)
- Individual GAC Rankings:
      • Carly Zak, 506.5 points (3rd)
      • Kayla Hebert, 49 service aces (4th)
      • Kayla Hebert, 1,134 assists (4th)
      • Carly Zak, 436 kills (4th)
      • Kelsi Schmidtberger, .310 hitting % (5th)
      • Kelsi Schmidtberger, 94 blocks (5th)
      • Paige Holt, 96 blocks (7th)
      • Kaila Lancaster, 444 digs (10th)
      • Carly Zak, 31 service aces (10th)
- Team GAC Rankings:
      • Service Aces: 198 (1st)
      • Attack Percentage: .216 (3rd)
      • Blocks: 222.0 (4th)
      • Assists: 1,391 (4th)
      • Kills: 1,504 (4th)
      • Digs: 2,019 (4th)