Setting the Scene
- SWOSU Volleyball has claimed the No. 2-seed in the Great American Conference Tournament, earning a quarterfinal matchup with No. 7-seed Southern Nazarene
- That match will take place at 2:30 pm on Thursday afternoon at Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs, Arkansas
- The Bulldogs have completed the winningest regular season in program history, finishing 20-6 overall and 13-3 in GAC play to earn the highest seed they've had in the eight-year history of the GAC Tournament
- SWOSU meets Southern Nazarene in the quarterfinals, marking the second postseason matchup between the schools, with the Bulldogs claiming a straight-set victory in the 2015 semifinals
- The Bulldogs and Crimson Storm split the season series, with SWOSU in four sets at SNU on September 11 before SNU returned the favor in five sets last Tuesday on Senior Night at the Pioneer Cellular Event Center
 
The Opponent
(7) Southern Nazarene (17-15)
- The Crimson Storm won four of their final five matches of the regular season to earn the No. 7 seed in the GAC Tournament after tying with Oklahoma Baptist for sixth in the regular season standings
- SNU is led by Bailee Turang, who is the top hitting threat in the Great American Conference with 4.00 kills and 4.55 points per set
- Southern Nazarene ranks second in the GAC with 193 service aces (1.65 per set) and they have four different players with 30 or more aces for the season
 
The Bracket
Quarterfinal #1: (6) Oklahoma Baptist vs. (3) Henderson State, Thursday, Nov. 8, 12:00 pm
Quarterfinal #2: (7) Southern Nazarene vs. (2) SWOSU, Thursday, Nov. 8, 2:30 pm
Quarterfinal #3: (8) Northwestern Oklahoma State vs. (1) Harding, Thursday, Nov. 8, 5:00 pm
Quarterfinal #4: (5) Arkansas Tech vs. (4) Ouachita, Thursday, Nov. 8, 7:30 pm
Semifinal #1: Quarterfinal #1 Winner vs. Quarterfinal #2 Winner, Friday, Nov. 9, 3:30 pm
Semifinal #2: Quarterfinal #3 Winner vs. Quarterfinal #4 Winner, Friday, Nov. 9, 6:00 pm
Championship: Semifinal #1 Winner vs. Semifinal #2 Winner, Saturday, Nov. 10, 2:00 pm
 
SWOSU Notes
- SWOSU is appearing in the Great American Conference Tournament for the eighth consecutive season, with a record of 5-6 in their previous trips
- The Bulldogs ended the regular season with a program-best 20 overall victories and 13 conference wins to finish tied for second in the standings with Henderson State
- Junior libero Kaitlyn Dillon was named the GAC Defensive Player of the Week a league-leading four times this season and finished the regular season as the conference leader in digs with 563 (5.69 per set) while ranking third with 43 service aces
- Both of SWOSU's starting middle hitters - Sofia Gruden and Elizabeth McVicker - rank in the top five in the GAC for hitting percentage
- Gruden is fourth on the team with 171 kills, but leads the Dawgs and ranks fourth in the league with a .343 attack percentage
- McVicker is second on the team with 236 kills (2.78 per set) while hitting .319 to rank fifth among players in the GAC
- Danusia Sipa Borgeaud is on the verge of recording 300 kills for the second straight season, entering the GAC Tournament with 298 (3.04 per set) on a .122 attack clip
- Allie Hoang has moved to fifth in the league in assists with 895 (9.04 per set) and she's tied with Borgeaud for the team lead having recorded 16 double-doubles this season