SHAWNEE – No. 24 Oklahoma Baptist controls its own destiny as it seeks to win its second straight Great American Conference Regular-Season Title this week.
On Nov. 9, the Bison welcome Southwestern Oklahoma State (18-6, 12-2 GAC) before hosting Southern Nazarene (11-13, 5-9 GAC) on Nov. 11 at Noble Complex. Both matches begin at 7 p.m. and tickets can be
purchased here.
Last week, OBU had wins at East Central and Southeastern which moved the team's unbeaten streak to eight. With those results, and Harding's five-set win against Arkansas Tech, the green and gold (19-3, 12-2 GAC) moved into a tie for first place with SWOSU. Tuesday night's match with the Bulldogs will be the second meeting this season. Back on Sept. 16, Southwestern won in five over OBU.
As has been mentioned in recent weeks, coach
Anna Howle's team has been one of the most balanced in D2. The Bison rank in the top-25 in opponent attack percentage, blocks per set and assists per set. In the last week, OBU has moved into 15th in kills per set (13.97), a mark that is also tops in the GAC.
Pacing the Bison offense is outside hitter
Malia Leatherland who became the GAC career leader in points (1,847) during the win at Southeastern. She checks in at No. 2 in the league in both points (3.73) and kills (3.32). Also aiding the offense are
Audrey Poupard and
Avery Hellmuth, both of whom rank in the top-nine in the GAC in hitting percentage. Poupard is also the conference leader and ranks 10th in the nation in blocks per set (1.26).
Additionally,
Kaylee Buell is third in the GAC in assists (9.68) while
Diana Carranza checks in at seven in digs (4.53).
Here is a look at OBU's opponents this week:
Southwestern Oklahoma State |
Great American Conference |
Spring 2021 Record: 7-6
SWOSU has been on fire as of late, winning a conference-best nine games in a row. The Bulldogs' last victory came at SNU on Nov. 4 by a 3-1 count.
This season, coach Josh Collins' team has stacked up well in the GAC, ranking second in hitting percentage (.221) and third in opponent attack percentage (.161). The Bulldogs are also third in assists (11.65).
Here are SWOSU's key players:
No. 3 Samantha Kuzma | Sits in second in the GAC in hitting percentage (.348)
No. 5 Allie Hoang | Three-time All-GAC selection; 2nd in the league in assists (9.86) & third in aces (0.38)
No. 7 Markenzie Benoit | Leads the GAC in hitting percentage (.376) & is fifth in blocks (1.01)
Southern Nazarene |
Great American Conference |
Spring 2021 Record: 3-9
SNU saw its four-match winning streak end on Nov. 4 when SWOSU beat the Storm 3-1. Coach Kevin Ingram's squad is currently tied for seventh in the GAC with the top eight making the league's tournament which is set to begin next Thursday.
Southern Nazarene sits anywhere from fourth to eighth in the conference statistics. Its best mark is fourth in assists (11.50) and blocks (2.05).
Keep an eye on these players for the Storm:
No. 9 Breckynn Myers | Her 8.20 assists-per-set mark is sixth-best in the GAC
No. 11 Bailey Grimes | Ranks second in blocks (1.12) & 13th in hitting percentage (.264)
No. 17 Whitney Bowie | Is seventh in the GAC in attack percentage (.293)
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.
