The East Central University volleyball team will have an action packed Great American Conference week, with three matches. The Lady Tigers will first host Northwestern Oklahoma State, Tuesday, Oct. 1 at the Kerr Activities Center (7 p.m.). ECU will then hit the road for matches at Harding, Oct. 4 (7 p.m.) and Arkansas Tech, Oct. 5 (2 p.m.).
Match Notes
Scouting Northwestern
The Rangers are 1-10 overall and 0-3 in the conference after losing their last four matches. This will be the second trip for Northwestern to the Kerr Activities Center this season, as they went 1-3 at the South Central Classic hosted by ECU.
The Rangers have struggled to find their offensive pace this season, hitting .168 as a team and allowing a .230 mark by the opposition. They trail their opponents in all statistical categories and run a two setter system.
NWOSU has three players with over 200 attempts, with Hayley Brattain leading the team. She has a .304 (96k-30e-217ta) hitting percentage and adds 12 service aces and 22 (3-19) blocks.
Against the Rangers
Last year, the Lady Tigers earned wins in both matches with the Rangers. During the outings ECU hit .234 and held NWOSU to a .000 mark. The Lady Tigers also earned a large blocking advantage at 2.9 to 0.7 blocks per set.
The top returners for ECU are Hayley Gerken and Danielle Essix. Gerken tallied 14 kills and a .522 (14k-2e-23ta) hitting percentage against the Rangers, while Essix added 19 kills, 18 digs and two service aces.
Paola Turibio is the top returner for the Rangers, with 17 kills and three service aces.
The Series
Tuesday's match is just the third in the all-time series, with ECU holding a 2-0 lead. The Lady Tigers earned a 3-0 win in the only meeting played at the Kerr Activities Center.
Scouting Harding
The Bison are at the top of the GAC standings, with an 11-5 overall mark and a 3-0 record in league play. Harding has earned a 3-0 sweep of all the GAC teams they have faced so far this season.
While the Bison have a strong overall record, they are hitting .194 as a team and allowing their opponents to hit at a .144 pace. The Bison lead their opponents in all other major stat categories; expect blocking where they have a slight 1.9 to 2.0 disadvantage.
Harding has four hitters with over 300 attempts, but one that stands out as the go-to hitter. Mollie Arnold has seen 720 attack attempts this season, with a .204 (258k-111e-720ta) hitting percentage and 18 service aces. Marindia Turner is the player next on the attempts list with 441 and 145 kills.
Against the Bison
Last season, the Lady Tigers and Harding meet just once, with the Bison earning a 1-3 win. The Lady Tigers hit just .160 in the match to Harding's 1.89, but earned a 2.3 to 1.5 blocking advantage.
Danielle Essix is the top returner for ECU, with nine kills, two service aces and 12 digs.
Mollie Arnold and Marindia Turner are the key returners for the Bison. Arnold tallied 18 kills, 13 digs and two service aces, while Turner added 11 kills.
The Series
Friday's match is the fifth in the all-time series that dates back to 2009. Harding owns a 4-0 advantage in the series, including a 1-0 mark at Harding.
Scouting Arkansas Tech
The Golden Suns are 8-4 overall and 2-1 in the GAC after going 1-1 in league play last week. ATU will have two conference matches before hosting the Lady Tigers, with Ouachita Baptist Tuesday and Southeastern Friday.
ATU has a .207 team hitting percentage and is allowing a .157 mark by the opposition. They lead in all statistical categories, expect blocks where they have a slight 1.2 to 1.6 disadvantage. The Golden Suns have a large advantage in service aces, at 2.3 to 1.1 per set.
ATU has a one setter system that has spread out the offense this season, with four hitters with over 200 attack attempts. Emily Todd has seen the most action, with 398 attempts, 137 kills, 14 service aces and 100 digs. Sara Motsinger is the most consistent hitter, with a .294 (107k-32e-255ta) hitting percentage.
Against the Golden Suns
In 2012, the teams had just one battle, with ATU earning a 1-3 win. Hitting percentage and blocking were the keys to the win for the Golden Suns, with ATU hitting .205 to ECU's .088 mark and earning 4.4 blocks per set to a 1.0 mark by the Lady Tigers.
The Series
The Lady Tigers and the Golden Suns have meet on 10 previous occasions, with ATU holding a 9-1 lead in the series. That included a 5-0 lead when played in Russellville, Ark.
Blocking Party
The Lady Tigers are already on pace to have one of the best blocking seasons after their opening two matches of the season. The most blocks in a season by ECU is 245.0 from the 2011 season, which averaged out to 1.93 blocks per set. The Lady Tigers already have 85 blocks, or 1.93 per set.
Tracking the Record Books
While the ECU volleyball program has only been around since 2008, there are several members of the 2013 squad that are at the top or close to the top of several career record categories.
Taylor Brown
- 4th Assists (708)
Noelle Cope
- 1st Kills (907)
- 1st Attempts (2,638)
- 1st Points (1057.0)
- 4th Block Assists (114)
- 4th Block Solos (26)
- 4th Total Blocks (140)
- 4th Matches Played (97)
- 5th Sets Played (339)
Danielle Essix
- 2nd Attempts (2,458)
- 3rd Matches Played (103)
- 3rd Kills (785)
- 3rd Points (915.0)
- 4th Sets Played (352)
- 4th Service Aces (75)
- 4th Digs (729)
Hayley Gerken
- 3rd Total Blocks (151)
- 3rd Block Assists (130)
- 4th Attack Pct. (.217)
Sarah Nelson
- 2nd Total Blocks (252)
- 1st Block Assists (221)
- 3rd Block Solos (31)
- 5th Matches Played (95)
Madison Seiler
- 5th Assists (201)
Jessica Wilkinson
- 3rd Assists (1,019)
Up Next
The Lady Tigers will take a break from GAC action, when they travel to participate in the Missouri Southern State Invitational, Oct. 11-12. ECU will face Pittsburg State, Washburn, Missouri Western State and Southwest Baptist in the tournament.
