SHAWNEE – With just two weeks remaining in the regular season, the No. 23 Oklahoma Baptist volleyball team will look to solidify one of the top seeds for the Great American Conference Tournament set to begin on Nov. 18.
OBU, currently slotted in second in the GAC with a 17-3 overall record and 9-2 conference mark, visits East Central and Southeastern Oklahoma State on Nov. 2 and Nov. 4, respectively.
A six-game winning streak has boosted the green and gold's winning percentage to .850, a mark that is tied for 17th-best in D2. What has stuck out the most this season has been the Bison's consistency on both offense and defense.
Oklahoma Baptist ranks 18th in the country in assists (12.84) and 34th in attack percentage (.242). Both of those marks are tops in the GAC, as well. The Bison's ability to defend is noteworthy, too. They are 26th in D2 in opponent hitting percentage (.134) and are 24th in blocks per set (2.30). In GAC play, those totals are first and second, respectively.
Individually,
Audrey Poupard boasts the 16th-best blocks-per-set average in the country at 1.20. She is also sixth in the GAC with a .308 attack mark. Fellow middle blocker
Avery Hellmuth is tenth in hitting percentage (.288) and 14th in points (3.13). Keeping the offense in motion in senior
Kaylee Buell who is second in the league with 9.77 assists per set. Finally, outside hitter
Malia Leatherland has posted top-five marks in both kills (5th; 3.22) and points (4th; 3.65).
Additionally,
Diana Carranza is eighth in digs (4.30).
Here is a look at OBU's opponents this week:
East Central |
Great American Conference |
Spring 2021 Record: 5-7
The Tigers are 13-11 this year but have really made their mark in GAC play. Coach Cheri Lindsay's team is 9-3 which has them in fourth place. One of those losses came to OBU, a 3-0 defeat at Noble Complex on Sept. 21. Most recently, ECU fell in five sets at Southwestern Oklahoma State on Oct. 28.
East Central stacks up in the middle of the pack in most statistical categories with its best mark coming at fifth in kills (12.30).
Here's a look at the Tigers' key players:
No. 2 Alejandra Delgado | Ranks first in the GAC in digs (5.45)
No. 16 Thalianette Garcia | Second Team All-GAC during the spring; Ranks 12th in points (3.16).
No. 19 Emma Strickland| Is 12th in the GAC in kills (2.76)
Southeastern Oklahoma State |
Great American Conference |
Spring 2021 Record: 2-9
Like ECU, the Savage Storm previously fell to OBU in three sets on Sept. 30. Southeastern has struggled as of late, losing six straight while moving its record to 7-15 and 4-8 in conference play. The Storm's last game came at Southern Nazarene where they fell in five sets.
To date, Southeastern's lone bright spot has been its ability to defend attacks. With a 17.86 digs-per-set average, that ranks first in the GAC and 33rd in the country. After that, though, its best mark in the GAC is seventh in aces (1.36).
Here are the key players for the Savage Storm:
No. 2 Skylor Lewis | All-GAC Honorable Mention in the spring; Ranks ninth in kills (2.89)
No. 7 Ruthie Forson | Another All-GAC Honorable Mention spring selection; Sits at fifth in assists per set (8.55).
No. 6 Grace Shehadeh | Spring All-GAC Honorable Mention team; Fourth in the conference in digs per set (5.04).
For complete information on Bison volleyball, follow the team's official Twitter account (
OBU_Volleyball) and download the new OBU mobile app on your
iOS or
Android device.
