SHAWNEE — The Bison volleyball team returns this week with two conference matchups. The first comes tomorrow, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. with a quick trip to Southern Nazarene. That will be followed up on Thursday, Sept. 30 versus Southeastern Oklahoma at 7 p.m. at Noble Complex.
Fans that are planning on coming to Noble Complex will have to purchase tickets online. No cash, check, or credit card sales will be available at the box office. To purchase,
click this link.
After a 2-0 week against East Central and Northwestern Oklahoma, the Bison are now 8-2 overall and 2-1 in the GAC.
Ranked at the 18th spot on the AVCA Coaches Poll, the Bison find themselves ranked nationally in several statistics, including 11th in hitting percentage (.267); 22nd in kills per set (13.97); 34th in assists per set (12.53) and 40th in blocks per set (2.25).
In the Great American Conference, OBU leads in hitting percentage, assists per set and kills per set as well as ranking second in opponent hitting percentage (.140) and blocks per set.
Seniors for the Bison are making their mark on the conference rankings, with
Malia Leatherland at sixth in kills per set (3.09) and seventh in points (3.41).
Diana Carranza can also be found in the leaderboard at fourth in aces per set (0.43) and sixth in digs per set (4.14).
Kaylee Buell comes in at No. 2 in assists per set (9.80).
Other starters that have made a big difference include:
Audrey Poupard leading the GAC in blocks per set (1.16), as well as posting the fourth-best hitting percentage (.330).
Taneyah Brown is slotted sixth in blocks per set (0.97), ninth in kills per set (2.86) and tenth in hitting percentage (.296). Finally
Avery Hellmuth is eighth in hitting percentage (.303).
Here's a look at OBU's opponents:
Southern Nazarene |
Great American Conference |
Spring 2021 Record: 3-9
SNU currently stands at 4-6 (0-3 GAC) with a loss streak of three. Last week, the Storm was bested by Northwestern Oklahoma in three sets. Later in the week, they fell to Southeastern Oklahoma in five, their first loss to the team since their first matchup in 2017. Coming into the fall, the Storm was ranked No. 7 in the GAC Preseason Poll.
Key Players for the Storm:
No. 8 Meagan Ellis | Earned All-GAC Honorable Mention in Spring 2021; Has tallied 57 kills this fall
No. 17 Whitney Bowie | Team leader in service aces (7): Leads in blocks (34.0)
No. 11 Bailey Grimes | Ranks seventh in the conference in hitting percentage (.311)
Southeastern Oklahoma |
Great American Conference |
Spring 2021 Record: 2-9
After a 1-1 week, the Savage Storm currently sits at 5-5 (2-1 GAC). Earlier this week, Southeastern Oklahoma was defeated by Southwestern Oklahoma in three sets. The Savage Storm then bounced back with a 3-2 win over Southern Nazarene, only their second time to beat SNU in matchup history. The preseason conference poll ranked the Savage Storm 11th. So far this fall, they've earned themselves the No. 2 spot in digs per set (17.05).
Key Players for the Savage Storm:
No. 2 Skylor Lewis | Named to the GAC Honorable Mention team in Spring 2021; Ranks second in the GAC in kills per set (3.38): Leads the Savage Storm in kills (132)
No. 7 Ruthie Forson | Earned All-GAC Honorable Mention in the Spring 2021 Season; Sits at fifth in the GAC for assists per set (8.72); First on the team in aces (13)
No. 6 Grace Shehadeh | Named to the Spring 2021 All-GAC Honorable Mention team; Third in the conference in digs per set (4.90): Leads Southeastern with 199 digs.
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.
