SHAWNEE – The No. 13-ranked Oklahoma Baptist volleyball team opens its Great American Conference schedule on Thursday with a trip to Southwestern Oklahoma State.
OBU has put together six consecutive wins heading into this matchup. In this current stretch, the Bison defense has been solid, holding opponents to a .121 attack percentage. Offensively, the green and gold have been potent, as well. To date, the Bison rank 13th in the nation in attack percentage (.268). They are also 13th in assists per set (13.04).
Helping lead the charge individually are a host of players.
Outside hitter
Malia Leatherland checks in at No. 4 in the GAC in kills per set (3.36). Also slotted in fourth in assists (9.40) is
Kaylee Buell, the current Setter of the Week in the conference. Additionally,
Diana Carranza ranks third and eighth, respectively, in service aces (0.67) and digs (3.87) while
Audrey Poupard and
Avery Hellmuth occupy the top (1.25) and third spots (1.13), respectively, in blocks per set.
In series lore, OBU has won four straight games against SWOSU.
Southwestern Oklahoma State |
Great American Conference |
Spring 2021 Record: 7-6
The Bulldogs are riding a four-match winning streak after a perfect weekend at the Texas Woman's Pioneer Classic in Denton. Helping lead those efforts was senior middle hitter Markenzie Benoit who was selected as the GAC's Offensive Player of the Week on Monday. So far, SWOSU ranks in the middle of the pack in several categories but are third in the GAC in assists per set (11.95) and fourth in kills (12.89).
SWOSU came into the season picked to finish fourth in the league. During the spring, coach Josh Collins' squad posted a 7-6 mark and made the semifinals of the GAC Tournament.
Here's a look at some of the key players for the Bulldogs:
No. 4 Lacie Mott | Spring All-GAC Honorable Mention; Ranks 8th in the GAC in kills (2.76)
No. 5 Allie Hoang | Ranks 2nd in school history with 3,063 assists; a three-time All-GAC honoree; Currently is 3rd in the conference in assists per set (9.68)
No. 13 | Chezney Nielsen | Spring All-GAC Honorable Mention; currently is 2nd on the team in points (76.5) and kills (65); Ranks in the top-13 in the conference in three categories: points, aces and kills
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.
