Volleyball Closes Out Regular Season Against NWOSU and ECU

SHAWNEE – After clinching at least a share of the 2026 Great American Conference regular-season title last week, Oklahoma Baptist volleyball is set to close out the regular season with contests at Northwestern Oklahoma State (Nov. 3) and at home against East Central (Nov. 5).

The Bison (21-5, 13-1 GAC) have already clinched the top seed in next week's GAC Tournament, and can win an outright conference regular-season title with a win against either the Rangers (10-19, 3-11) or Tigers (10-17, 5-9) this week.

OBU can also claim the outright GAC regular-season championship should Harding lose either of its remaining matches against Southern Arkansas (Nov. 3)  or Arkansas Tech (Nov. 5).

The 2026 GAC Tournament will take place on Nov. 11-13 at the Stride Bank Center in Enid. Oklahoma Baptist will face the eight seed at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Should the Bison advance they would face the winner of the 4/5 matchup at 5 pm. on Nov. 12.

The GAC title match is slated for 3 p.m. on Nov. 13, with a berth to the NCAA Central Regional on the line.

THE CLINCHER

• Oklahoma Baptist enters the week as the top seed in next week's GAC Tournament. The Bison defeated Southwestern Oklahoma State in four sets last Thursday to clinch the top spot.
• The victory over the Bulldogs also gave the Bison at least a share of the GAC regular-season title, the program's fifth in the last seven years.
• A win in either of OBU's remaining two contests would make it the outright regular-season champion.
• The Bison can also clinch the title if Harding loses either of its final two matches.

PROGRAM MILESTONE

• With its 3-1 win at Southern Nazarene on Oct. 27, Oklahoma Baptist picked up its 650th victory as a program. The Bison are 651-393 all-time, including a 253-118 mark in the Division II era. 
• Since reviving the program in 2008 after more than 20 years dormant, head coach Anna Howle has posted a record of 457-190, including a 224-59 record in conference action across the Sooner Athletic Conference (2008-14) and the GAC (2015-pres.)

ALL-AMERICA RESUME

• Rylee Unruh enters the final week of the regular season as a serious candidate for All-America honors as a senior.
• She is currently tied for the national lead in aces (65), third in aces per set (0.66), fifth in total attacks (1,111), seventh in total kills (373), and 18th in points per set (4.65).
• An all-around standout, she is also 138th nationally in total digs (338) and has added 30 blocks on the defensive side of the net.
• Unruh holds the OBU record for aces in a single season with 65 so far this year, and is second in career aces in a Bison uniform (149). Her career ace total is actually 174 when including her stats from her freshman season at Washburn (25).

SERIES NOTES VS. NORTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE

• Oklahoma Baptist leads the all-time series against Northwestern Oklahoma State, 22-6.
• OBU owns a 20-4 advantage during the Division II era.
• The Bison are 11-1 in Shawnee, 9-2 in Alva and 0-1 at neutral sites during the Division II era.
• OBU has won six consecutive meetings since a 3-1 loss in Alva on Sept. 19, 2023.
• The Bison have won 15 of the last 18 meetings.
• Four of the last six meetings have ended in OBU sweeps.
• OBU has won two consecutive matches in Alva since its 2023 loss to the Rangers.
• Northwestern's only Division II-era win in Shawnee came in a five-set match on Nov. 2, 2017.
• The Rangers' four Division II-era victories came in 2017, 2018, 2022 and 2023.
• The teams' only neutral-site meeting came in the opening round of the 2022 GAC Tournament, a 3-1 Northwestern victory.

SERIES NOTES VS. EAST CENTRAL

• Oklahoma Baptist leads the all-time series against East Central, 19-9.
• OBU owns an 18-6 advantage during the Division II era.
• The Bison are 10-2 in Shawnee and 8-4 in Ada during the Division II era.
• OBU won the first meeting this season, defeating the Tigers 3-1 in Ada on Sept. 24.
• The Bison have won four of the last seven meetings.
• East Central swept the 2024 season series.
• The teams split the 2025 season series, with each team winning on its home floor.
• OBU won 12 consecutive meetings from Oct. 27, 2016 through Nov. 2, 2021.
• ECU has won five of the last nine matches after OBU won 14 of the first 15 Division II-era meetings.
• Seven Division II-era meetings have gone five sets.
• OBU is 1-0 against ECU in GAC Tournament play, defeating the Tigers in the 2021 quarterfinals.
• That tournament was played in the spring of 2021 after COVID-19 delayed the fall 2020 season.

 

Date	Location	W/L	Score
9/15/15	Alva	W	3-0
10/31/15	Shawnee	W	3-0
9/13/16	Shawnee	W	3-0
10/29/16	Alva	W	3-1
9/12/17	Alva	W	3-1
11/2/17	Shawnee	L	2-3
9/4/18	Shawnee	W	3-1
10/25/18	Alva	L	2-3
9/24/19	Shawnee	W	3-0
11/14/19	Alva	W	3-1
2/12/21	Alva	W	3-0
3/9/21	Shawnee	W	3-2
9/24/21	Alva	W	3-0
10/28/21	Shawnee	W	3-0
9/24/22	Shawnee	W	3-0
10/28/22	Alva	W	3-0
11/10/22	Shawnee*	L	1-3
9/19/23	Alva	L	1-3
10/26/23	Shawnee	W	3-1
10/3/24	Shawnee	W	3-0
11/14/24	Alva	W	3-1
9/30/25	Alva	W	3-0
11/11/25	Shawnee	W	3-0
9/22/26	Shawnee	W	3-0

* - GAC Tournament

Date	Location	W/L	Score
9/29/15	Shawnee	W	3-1
10/29/15	Ada	W	3-1
9/27/16	Ada	L	2-3
10/27/16	Shawnee	W	3-0
9/26/17	Shawnee	W	3-0
10/26/17	Ada	W	3-2
9/18/18	Ada	W	3-2
10/18/18	Shawnee	W	3-0
9/26/19	Ada	W	3-0
11/5/19	Shawnee	W	3-0
2/19/21	Ada	W	3-1
3/23/21	Shawnee	W	3-0
4/8/21	Shawnee*	W	3-0
9/21/21	Shawnee	W	3-0
11/2/21	Ada	W	3-2
9/13/22	Ada	L	0-3
10/25/22	Shawnee	L	2-3
9/21/23	Shawnee	W	3-0
10/31/23	Ada	W	3-2
10/1/24	Ada	L	1-3
11/12/24	Shawnee	L	1-3
10/2/25	Shawnee	W	3-0
11/13/25	Ada	L	2-3
9/24/26	Ada	W	3-1

* - GAC Tournament