Setting the Scene
- Bulldog Volleyball is prepared for another busy week, with three matches to be played in the upcoming days, including two Great American Conference contests
- SWOSU will host Southeastern Oklahoma State on Tuesday at 6:00 pm before heading to Shawnee on Thursday for a tri-match that includes games against Oklahoma Baptist (3:00 pm) and Arkansas-Fort Smith (5:00 pm)
- The Bulldogs are looking to continue their strong start to 2018 that has the team with a record of 10-2 overall and 3-0 in GAC play
 
The Opponents
Southeastern Oklahoma State (5-10, 1-2 GAC)
- Southeastern comes to Weatherford with a mark of 1-2 in league play after winning at East Central last week while taking losses at home to Oklahoma Baptist and Southern Nazarene
- The Savage Storm are led by libero Caitlin Cosby, who is ranked first in the conference with 282 digs (5.32 per set) for the year
 
Oklahoma Baptist (8-10, 2-1 GAC)
- OBU split a tri-match against Dallas Baptist and Texas Woman's over the weekend after dropping their first conference match of the season to Southern Nazarene last Thursday
- The Bison are ranked third in the GAC in digs, averaging 17.82 per set while putting down 11.98 kills per set and hitting .171 as a team
 
Arkansas-Fort Smith (8-6)
- Thursday's matchup will be the first meeting between the programs since 2009 and just the third all-time, with Arkansas-Fort Smith claiming victories in both of the other two
- UAFS is 3-0 against GAC opponents this season with victories over East Central, Arkansas-Monticello and Ouachita and four of their six defeats have come against foes ranked in the AVCA Top 25
 
Checking the Standings
- SWOSU currently leads the Great American Conference with a 3-0 mark in the league standings, where they are joined by Harding and Henderson State as unbeatens at 2-0
- Oklahoma Baptist is one of four teams – along with Arkansas Tech, Ouachita and Southern Arkansas – with one conference loss, while Northwestern and Southeastern are both 1-2 to this point
 
SWOSU Notes
- Sophomore setter Allie Hoang was named the GAC Setter of the Week on Monday after setting up the Dawgs with 10.7 assists per set in last week's victories over Southern Nazarene and Northwestern Oklahoma State
- The Bulldogs strength has been on defense, where they lead the conference in digs (18.86 per set) while holding their opponents to a .159 hitting percentage – which is the second-best mark in the league
- SWOSU has been serving strong as of late, compiling 21 service aces over the past two matches with six apiece from Klemson Lancaster and Danusia Sipa Borgeaud
- Two-time GAC Defensive Player of the Week Kaitlyn Dillon leads the Dawgs and ranks second in the league with 223 digs, which is good for an average of 5.07 per set
- Borgeaud is the Bulldogs leader with 144 kills, while Elizabeth McVicker eclipsed the 100-kill mark against Northwestern and she's second on the team with 102
- Sofia Gruden is ranked fourth in the conference with a hitting percentage of .325 and she's fourth on the team with 84 kills
- Emily Holm has put down at least seven kills in six consecutive matches, including a career-high of 11 against Arkansas-Monticello and at Southern Arkansas
 
Looking Ahead
- Starting next week, the Bulldogs will play six consecutive matches against GAC foes from Arkansas, beginning on September 28-29 against Arkansas-Monticello and Southern Arkansas