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2016 GAC Volleyball Quarterfinals (5) SWOSU (13-16) vs. (4) Arkansas Tech (21-11) Thursday, Nov. 17, 7:30 pm Hot Springs, Ark. (Bank of the Ozarks Arena) Live Stats  |  Watch Live SWOSU Notes (pdf)

Setting the Scene
- SWOSU Volleyball has earned the No. 5-seed in the 2016 Great American Conference Volleyball Championships and the Bulldogs will face No. 4-seed Arkansas Tech in the tournament quarterfinals on Thursday evening from Hot Springs, Arkansas
- The quarterfinal matchup will feature two teams responsible for four of the five GAC Tournament Championships, with SWOSU entering as the defending champions while Arkansas Tech is a three-time tournament winner (2011, 2013, 2014)
- SWOSU defeated Arkansas Tech 3-0 on October 15th in their lone meeting this season, marking the Bulldogs second all-time victory over the Golden Suns
- The two teams also met in the GAC Quarterfinals in 2014, with top-seeded Arkansas Tech defeating the Bulldogs in straight sets
- Bulldog Volleyball is 4-4 all-time at the GAC Tournament, while Arkansas Tech is 12-2 all-time with a perfect 5-0 record in the quarterfinal round
 
SWOSU at the GAC Tournament
All-Time:                      4-4
Quarterfinals:              2-3
Semifinals:                  1-1
Championship:            1-0
 
2011: November 11-12; Russellville, Ark.
      Nov. 11: (2) Harding def. (7) SWOSU 3-0
            25-20, 25-13, 25-16
2012: November 15-17; Searcy, Ark.
      Nov. 15: (4) SWOSU def. (5) Ouachita 3-1
            25-21, 25-13, 15-25, 25-20
      Nov. 16: (1) Harding def. (4) SWOSU 3-2
            25-20, 25-18, 21-25, 23-25, 15-11
2013: November 21-23; Hot Springs, Ark.
      Nov. 21: (4) Ouachita def. (5) SWOSU 3-2
            26-24, 19-25, 22-25, 25-16, 16-14
2014: November 13-15; Hot Springs, Ark.
      Nov. 13: (1) Ark. Tech def. (8) SWOSU 3-0
            16-25, 16-25, 18-25
2015: November 19-21; Hot Springs, Ark.
      Nov. 19: (3) SWOSU def. (6) Northwestern 3-1
            22-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-21
      Nov. 20: (3) SWOSU def. (2) Southern Naz. 3-0
            25-22, 25-19, 25-17
      Nov. 21: (3) SWOSU def. (4) Southern Ark. 3-1
            25-20, 25-19, 19-25, 26-24
 
All-GAC Tournament Team Selections
2012:   Lindsay Dusin, Senior, Setter
2015:   Kayla Hebert, Junior, Setter (MVP)
            Kelsi Schmidtberger, Junior, MH
            Carly Zak, Junior, OH
 
The Opponent
(4) Arkansas Tech (21-11)
- Golden Suns won six of their final seven games to finish 21-11 on the year and tied for third in the GAC at 11-5
- ATU is the third-best hitting team in the league with a .223 attack percentage and they're ranked second in the league with 13.42 kills per set
- Led by Hunter Eshnaur, who ranks fourth in the league with 3.52 kills per set and Madison Nagel, who averages 4.41 digs per set
 
The Coaches
SWOSU: Josh Collins (69-88, 5th season)
- Became the winningest coach in SWOSU Volleyball history on November 10th, 2016 with a three-set win at Northwestern
- Led the Bulldogs to the best season in program history in 2015, winning 22 games and the GAC Tournament Championship
- Has coached nine All-GAC selections, one GAC Freshman of the Year and one AVCA All-Central Region selection in four seasons
- His teams have earned two AVCA Team Academic Awards and one GAC Sportsmanship Award
 
ATU: Kristy Bayer (329-134, 13th season)
- Three-time GAC Coach of the Year and the winningest coach in Arkansas Tech volleyball history
- Has led the Golden Suns to three GAC Tournament Championships and three appearances in the NCAA Regional, the last coming in 2014
 
SWOSU Notes
- Individual Career Records Update:
      • Carly Zak, 1,626 kills (1st)
      • Carly Zak, 1802.5 points (1st)
      • Kayla Hebert, 2,131 assists (2nd)
      • Kelsi Schmidtberger, .274 hitting % (2nd)
      • Kayla Hebert, 78 service aces (4th)
      • Kelsi Schmidtberger, 174 blocks (6th)
      • Paige Holt, 171 blocks (7th)
      • Carly Zak, 876 digs (7th)
 
- Individual Single Season Records Update:
      • Carly Zak, 469 kills (1st)
      • Carly Zak, 4/26 kills/set (1st)
      • Carly Zak, 1,322 attack attempts (1st)
      • Carly Zak, 4.80 points/set (1st)
      • Blair Dressendorfer, 0.42 aces/set (2nd)
      • Carly Zak, 527.5 points (2nd)
      • Kayla Hebert, 982 assists (4th)
      • Kayla Hebert, 9.01 assists/set (4th)
      • Kelsi Schmidtberger, .247 hitting % (7th)
      • Kaitlyn Dillon, 450 digs (7th)
      • Kaitlyn Dillon, 4.09 digs/set (7th)
      • Kelsi Schmidtberger, 82 block assists (7th)
 
- Team Single Season Records Update:
      • Attack Percentage: .183 (2nd)
      • Assists: 1,211 (T-5th)
      • Kills/set: 11.78 (7th)
      • Service Aces: 146 (7th)
      • Digs: 1,743 (7th)
      • Total Blocks: 165.0 (T-9th)
 
- Individual GAC Rankings:
      • Carly Zak, 469 kills; 4.69/set (1st)
      • Carly Zak, 527.5 pts; 4.80/set (1st)
      • Kayla Hebert, 982 assists; 9.01/set (7th)
      • Blair Dressendorfer, 30 service aces (2nd)
      • Kaitlyn Dillon, 450 digs; 4.09/set (9th)
 
- Team GAC Rankings:
      • Attack Percentage: .183 (5th)
      • Service Aces: 146 (5th)