SHAWNEE—Oklahoma Baptist has two Great American Conference matches this week, beginning Tuesday, Sept. 21 at home against East Central. The 13
th-ranked Bison will follow that up with a trip to Alva, Oklahoma to face Northwestern Oklahoma on Friday the 24th.
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The Bison (6-2 0-1 GAC) are coming off a 3-2 defeat at Southwestern Oklahoma last week. It was their first conference loss in a span of 17 GAC contests.
Through eight matches,
Malia Leatherland and
Taneyah Brown have paced the Bison offense, totaling 88 and 77 kills, respectively. For Leatherland, she ranks fifth in the GAC with a 3.14 average. As a team, OBU ranks 16th in the nation in kills per set (14.08). Directing the Bison offense is
Kaylee Buell. She is second in the league in assists (9.38) while OBU as a unit ranks 13th in DII (13.04).
Other notables include
Diana Carranza sitting in second in the GAC in aces (14; 0.48) and seventh in digs (4.03), while
Audrey Poupard checks in at No. 4 in blocks (1.04). Collectively, the Bison are No. 23 in the country in blocks (2.42).
Here's a look at OBU's opponents:
East Central |
Great American Conference |
Spring 2021 Record: 5-7
ECU currently stands at 3-8, winning its last three games, in fact. The Tigers' most recent victory was a five-setter against Southern Nazarene on Sept. 16. Coming into the fall, coach Cheri Lindsay's team was picked to finish ninth in the conference. In her first season, Lindsay led East Central to a 5-7 mark and GAC Tournament Quarterfinal appearance. It was the first time since the 2013 season that ECU made the conference tournament.
Here are the key players for the Tigers:
No. 2 Alejandra Delgado | Ranks second in the GAC in digs (5.25)
No. 16 Thalianette Garcia | Second Team All-GAC during the spring; Just the second Tiger to ever earn those honors; Is second on the team in digs (2.90) and third in kills (2.33)
No. 22 Nyah Walker | Is 11th in the GAC in kills (2.75); has recorded double-digit kill totals in seven of 11 matches
Northwestern Oklahoma |
Spring 2021 Record: 9-6
The Rangers are off to a slow start, currently possessing a 1-10 record after a 3-1 loss at Fort Hays State on Sunday. They are set to face Southern Nazarene on Tuesday before hosting the Bison at Percefull Fieldhouse on Friday evening. Coming into this season, the Rangers were picked to finish fifth in the conference. Head coach Fred Aubuchon began his third season this fall. In his first season, he coached the program to its best record in the DII era. Last season, the Rangers made it to the GAC Tournament Quarterfinal.
Key players for Northwestern Oklahoma include:
No. 5 Kaydee Honeycutt | Spring 1
st Team All-Conference; Seventh in the GAC for total kills (99)
No. Addison Wimmer | Leads the conference in total kills (127); Tied for first in service aces (10)
No. Abby Davis | Leads the team in assists (169); Co-leader in service aces (10)
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.
