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Setting the Scene
- SWOSU Volleyball has earned the No. 7-seed in the 2017 Great American Conference Tournament, which begins on Thursday at the Bank of the Ozarks Arena in Hot Springs
- The Bulldogs will be matched up against the tournament's No. 2-seed, Harding, who finished as the runner-up in the GAC with a 13-3 mark in league play
- This will mark the third time that SWOSU has faced Harding in the GAC Tournament, with both prior meetings being won by the Lady Bisons
- SWOSU has been the No. 7-seed in the tournament once prior, falling to Harding in straight sets in the quarterfinals of the 2011 GAC Tournament in Russellville, Arkansas
- The Bulldogs are 3-3 all-time in the tournament quarterfinals, with back-to-back wins against Northwestern in 2015 and Arkansas Tech in 2016
- In six prior GAC Tournaments, the No. 2-seeded teams are 6-0 against the No. 7-seed, with No. 2 Ouachita needing five sets to defeat No. 7 Arkansas-Monticello last season
 
SWOSU at the GAC Tournament
All-Time:                      5-5
Quarterfinals:             3-3
Semifinals:                  1-2
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) Arkansas 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 Okla. 3-1
            22-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-21
      Nov. 20: (3) SWOSU def. (2) Southern Nazarene 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
2016: November 17-19; Hot Springs, Ark.
      Nov. 17: (5) SWOSU def. (4) Arkansas Tech 3-1
            21-25, 25-15, 28-26, 25-21
      Nov. 18: (8) Southeastern Okla. def. (5) SWOSU 3-1
            25-23, 24-26, 15-25, 19-25
 
All-GAC Tournament Team Selections
2012:   Lindsay Dusin, Senior, Setter
2015:   Kayla Hebert, Junior, Setter (MVP)
            Kelsi Schmidtberger, Junior, MH
            Carly Zak, Junior, OH
2016:   Carly Zak, Senior, OH
 
The Opponent
(2) Harding (25-5)
- The Lady Bisons enter the tournament having dropped two of their last three matches during the regular season, including a five-set thriller against GAC Champion Arkansas Tech
- Harding finished in second place in the GAC by two games over Oklahoma Baptist with a 13-3 league mark
- Harding ranks second in the GAC in both hitting percentage (.241) and opponent hitting percentage (.137)
- HU is led by middle hitter Zoe Hardin, who led the GAC in blocks (1.19/set) while ranking 10th in kills (2.96/set) and fifth in hitting percentage (.323)
- Harding's setter Rachel Heussner is the league leader in assists, averaging 10.9 per set with 1,155 to her credit this season
 
The Coach
SWOSU: Josh Collins (82-108, 6th season)
- Led the Bulldogs to the best season in program history in 2015, winning 22 games and the GAC Tournament Championship
- Has coached 12 All-GAC selections, one GAC Freshman of the Year and two AVCA All-Central Region selections in four seasons
- His teams have earned two AVCA Team Academic Awards and one GAC Sportsmanship Award
- Became the winningest coach in SWOSU Volleyball history on November 10th, 2016 with a three-set win at Northwestern
 
SWOSU Notes
- Individual Career Records Update:
      • Kaitlyn Dillon, 1,146 digs (3rd)
      • Kodee Avery, 1,070 assists (5th)
      • DeLayni Fine, 1,974 attack attempts (6th)
      • DeLayni Fine, 127 block assists (8th)
      • DeLayni Fine, 606 kills (9th)
      • Lindsey McCauley, 94 matches played (9th)
      • Lindsey McCauley, 870 digs (9th)
      • Addie Aman, 110 block assists (T-10th)
      • Allie Hoang, 312 assists (10th)
- Individual Single Season Records Update:
      • Kaitlyn Dillon, 663 digs (1st)
      • Kaitlyn Dillon, 5.35 digs/set (2nd)
      • Kodee Avery, 928 assists (6th)
      • Danusia Sipa Borgeaud, 352 kills (7th)
      • DeLayni Fine, 344 kills (9th)
- Team Single Season Records Update:
      • Digs: 2,328 (2nd)
      • Digs/set: 18.77 (2nd)
      • Assists: 1,416 (3rd)
      • Kills: 1,509 (4th)
      • Attack Percentage: .170 (4th)
      • Service Aces: 170 (5th)
- Individual GAC Rankings:
      • Kaitlyn Dillon, 663 digs; 5.35/set (4th)
      • Kodee Avery, 928 assists; 7.93/set (7th)
- Team GAC Rankings:
      • Digs: 2,327; 18.77/set (3rd)
      • Service Aces: 171; 1.38/set (5th)
      • Attack Percentage: .170 (7th)