Setting the Scene
- SWOSU Volleyball returns to action this week following one full week of rest and they are in Arkansas for a pair of Great American Conference matches
- On Friday night, the Bulldogs will face Arkansas-Monticello before heading to Magnolia on Saturday for a matchup against Southern Arkansas
- The Bulldogs have already defeated UAM earlier this season with a straight-set victory over the Blossoms at the LCU Chap Classic
- SWOSU defeated both UAM and SAU last season, needing five sets to down the Muleriders before a straight-set victory over the Blossoms
 
The Opponents
Arkansas-Monticello (2-18, 0-5 GAC)
- UAM has dropped three straight following a win over Williams Baptist, but the Blossoms are still in search of their first GAC victory of the season
- Monticello ranks 10th in the GAC with a hitting percentage of .130 while their opponents are hitting a league-leading .256 against the Blossoms
- UAM is led by Halli Lambert with 14 kills while Shayna Daniels has a team-leading 428 assists to her credit
 
Southern Arkansas (6-11, 1-4 GAC)
- The Muleriders have won three of their last four matches, giving them six wins on the year including their first GAC win over Arkansas-Monticello on September 18
- Two SAU players have over 100 kills on the year, led by Bailey Cagle with 125, while Camryn Bihary is ranked fifth in the league with 277 digs
- SAU is ranked ninth in the conference in both hitting percentage (.140) and opponent hitting percentage (.201)
 
Checking the Standings
- Through five games of GAC play, Harding sits atop the standings with an unblemished 5-0 mark, which is one game ahead of SWOSU, Henderson State and Oklahoma Baptist for second
- Just behind the three-way tie are Arkansas Tech and Southern Nazarene at 3-2 while six teams are currently below the .500 mark
 
SWOSU Notes
- Elizabeth McVicker had her best offensive outing of the season in the Dawgs last match, putting down 21 kills against three hitting errors in a five-set defeat to Arkansas-Fort Smith
- SWOSU leads the GAC in digs (19.11/set) while ranking third in service aces (1.70/set) and opponent hitting percentage (.162)
- Two-time GAC Defensive Player of the Week Kaitlyn Dillon leads the conference with 292 digs, an average of 5.21 per set, and she's closing in on another milestone, needing 40 digs to reach 1,500 for her career
- Allie Hoang has recorded four double-doubles in the past six matches, including a career-high 55 assists to go along with 14 digs in the match against UAFS
- Danusia Sipa Borgeaud has posted a team-leading eight double-doubles this season and she leads the Dawgs in kills (172) while ranking third in digs (171)
- Sofia Gruden is ranked eighth in the GAC in blocks with 45 (5 solo, 40 assist), which is good for an average of 0.85 per set
- Five different Bulldogs have served up at least 12 aces this season, led by Kaitlyn Dillon (25), Klemson Lancaster (18) and Danusia Sipa Borgeaud (17)
 
Looking Ahead
- Bulldog Volleyball returns home to the Pioneer Cellular Event Center next weekend for conference matches against Harding (Oct. 5) and Arkansas Tech (Oct. 6)