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Setting the Scene
- Fresh off their first conference victory of the season, the SWOSU Volleyball team heads to the GAC / MIAA Crossover for four matches at two different sites on Thursday and Friday
- On Thursday, the Bulldogs head to Edmond to face Pittsburg State (11:00 am) and No. 13-ranked Central Oklahoma (6:00 pm)
- The location shifts to Bethany on Friday as SWOSU takes on a pair of regional foes from Kansas in Fort Hays State (12:00 pm) and Emporia State (4:00 pm)
 
The Opponents
Pittsburg State (2-6)
- The Gorillas enter the Crossover on a five-game slide after going 0-4 at the Missouri S&T Invitational last weekend in Rolla, Mo.
- Pitt State is led offensively by Lauren Regier (2.97 kills per set) and Noelle Dooley (2.79) while four other players are also averaging better than one kill per set
- PSU leads the all-time series against SWOSU 2-1, including a 3-1 in the last meeting on October 12, 2013 in Joplin, Mo.
- Leading the Gorillas is second-year head coach Jen Gomez, who previously spent five seasons as the head coach at Colorado State-Puebloe
 
Central Oklahoma (8-1)
- The Bronchos check in at No. 13 in the latest AVCA Top 25 poll after sweeping four matches at the Steel & Silver Classic last weekend in Colorado Springs
- UCO's balanced attack is led by returning All-American Taylor Bevis, who already has 113 kills (4.91 per set) for the year
- The Bulldogs are 0-13 all-time against the Bronchos, who have been ranked in the top 20 for each of the last three meetings  
- Edgar Miraku has led a resurgence of the UCO Volleyball program, where he has a record of 134-43 in five-plus years leading the Bronchos
 
Fort Hays State (4-5)
- FHSU enters the weekend 4-5 after going 2-3 last weekend at the Cavalier Classic in North Canton, Ohio
- Leading the Tigers offensively are Kylie Rollman (2.76 kills per set), Magan Alexander (2.43) and Sydney Dixon (2.34)
- SWOSU and FHSU have met twice previously, with the Tigers claiming a 3-0 victory in 2005 before the Bulldogs evened the series at 1-1 with a 3-0 win in Las Vegas, N.M., in 2010
- Fort Hays State is coached by Kurt Kohler, who has guided the Tigers to 131 victories in nine seasons at the school
 
Emporia State (4-4)
- Hornet Volleyball brings momentum into the weekend after going 3-1 at the Southwest Baptist Tournament last weekend in Bolivar, Mo.
- ESU is led by reigning MIAA Hitter of the Week Yuchen Du, who averaged 4.8 kills and 5.33 assists per sit while hitting .417 at the SBU Tournament
- The Bulldogs defeated the Hornets in a five-set match last year at the GAC / MIAA Crossover, but ESU maintains a 3-1 all-time advantage in the series
- Long-time Head Coach Bing Xu has led the Hornets to more than 250 wins in his 12 years at Emporia State
 
SWOSU Notes
- The Bulldogs got a season-high 17 kills from Danusia Sipa Borgeaud against East Central, marking the sixth time this season the junior transfer has finished with 10 or more kills in a match
- Borgeaud doubled up by adding a season-high 11 digs in the contest for her first double-double in a SWOSU uniform
- Kodee Avery finished one dig shy of her sixth double-double of the young season and the Bulldogs junior setter is averaging 8.31 assists and 2.21 digs per set for the year
- SWOSU is currently ranked third in the GAC with 70 service aces (1.79 per set) and four players who have already totaled 10 or more aces this season: Klemson Lancaster (16), Lindsey McCauley (12), Addie Aman (11), and Avery (10)
- Kaitlyn Dillon recorded 25 digs against East Central, her third straight match and fourth in the last five with 20 or more digs and she's ranked fifth in the conference with 4.64 digs per set
 
Looking Ahead
- At long last, the SWOSU Volleyball team makes their home debut on Tuesday (Sept. 19) with a rivalry contest against Southern Nazarene starting at 7:00 pm inside the Pioneer Cellular Event Center
- Following that match, the Bulldogs play three road contests before returning home on September 28 to play Southeastern Oklahoma State