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SWOSU Volleyball at St. Edward's Hilltopper Classic Austin, Texas (Recreation and Convocation Center) at St. Edward's, Thursday, September 3, 7:00 pm vs. Tiffin (Ohio), Friday, September 4, 12:00 pm vs. Missouri S&T, Friday, September 4, 8:00 pm vs. Franklin Pierce, Saturday, September 5, 12:00 pm Live Stats  |  Watch Live SWOSU Weekly Notes

Setting the Scene
- The 11th season of intercollegiate volleyball at SWOSU commences this weekend as the Bulldogs travel to Austin, Texas for the St. Edward's Hilltopper Classic
- All four of SWOSU's opponents come from outside the Central Region and the Bulldogs will be facing two new foes for the first time
- SWOSU opens the season on Thursday night against tournament host, St. Edward's, before facing Tiffin and Missouri S&T on Friday. The final match will be on Saturday afternoon against Franklin Pierce
- The Bulldogs are 3-9 in season-opening tournaments the past three years under the direction of head coach Josh Collins
 
The Opponents
St. Edward's
- Picked to finish third in the Heartland Conference this season after finishing 19-8 (11-5 HC) last season
- Earned a 3-1 victory over SWOSU at the Panhandle State triangular last season, and they lead the all-time series against SWOSU 2-1
- Leading returner is All-Heartland Conference performer Hannah Rauch, who had 295 kills and hit .240 as a junior in 2014
 
Tiffin
- Picked to finish sixth in the south division of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) after a 12-15 (6-12 GLIAC) record last season
- Will be meeting SWOSU for the first time in program history
- Top returner is junior outside hitter Olivia Cobb, who hit .148 and put down 270 kills last season
 
Missouri S&T
- Picked to finish third in the west division of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) in 2015
- Coming off an 18-14 season in 2014 that included a third berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament in the past four seasons
- Return two All-GLVC performers in middle hitters Krista Haslag and Gracey Moon
 
Franklin Pierce
- Chosen seventh in the Northeast-10 preseason coaches poll after finishing 15-13 (8-6 NE 10) last season
- A young squad which graduated just one senior last season and features 10 underclassmen
- Return two of their top three attackers in junior middle hitter Alden Garcia and sophomore outside hitter Hanna St. Jean
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Josh Collins (34-60, 4th season)
- Named second head volleyball coach in SWOSU history on January 1, 2012
- Has coached six 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
- Added the duties of Director of Gameday Operations at SWOSU in the fall of 2014.
 
St. Edward's: Mary DeJute (0-0, 1st season)
- First-year at St. Edwards with previous head coaching experience at Mercer, Heidelberg and Belmont Abbey
 
Tiffin: Dana Cordova (57-84, 6th season)
- In her sixth season at Tiffin after one year as the head coach at Montana State-Billings
- Has led the Dragons to two winning seasons
 
Missouri S&T: Jason Holt (110-152, 9th season)
- Started the Missouri S&T program in 2007 and has been the only coach in Miner history
- Has four winning seasons and three NCAA Division II tournament appearances at S&T
 
Franklin Pierce: Stephanie Dragan (79-86, 7th season)
- Has led the Ravens to a record of .500 or better in four straight seasons
- Previously coached at Agnes Scott, Centre and Western Carolina, amassing 300 career wins
 
GAC Preseason Poll
1.   Arkansas Tech, 121 (11)
2.   Harding, 104 (1)
3.   Southern Nazarene, 97
4.   Oklahoma Baptist, 87
5.   Southeastern Oklahoma State, 76
6.   Ouachita Baptist 74
7.   Northwestern Oklahoma State, 65
8.   Southern Arkansas, 55
9.   SWOSU, 43
10. East Central, 27
11. Arkansas-Monticello, 25
12. Henderson State, 18
 
SWOSU Notes
- The Bulldogs enter the 2015 season with just five returning players from last season, including two-time All-GAC selection Carly Zak
- Kaila Lancaster, SWOSU's all-time leader in digs, is the lone senior on the team and she returns with experience at the libero position
- Other returners include junior Ariana Olson, sophomore DeLayni Fine and redshirt freshman Klemson Lancaster
- SWOSU's eight-player recruiting class was split with four freshman and four transfers
- Incoming freshman include Addie Aman, Kodee Avery, Blair Dressendorfer and Jill Green
- The Bulldogs added a trio of NCAA Division II transfers in Kayla Hebert, Paige Holt and Lindsey McCauley along with junior college transfer Kelsi Schmidtberger
 
Looking Ahead
- SWOSU is slated for two matches next week, facing Midwestern State and Texas Wesleyan during a tri-match in Wichita Falls, Texas on Wednesday