The East Central University volleyball team is preparing for the final regular-season Great American Conference matches of the 2014 season, with two of the final three set for the next week.  The Tigers will first host Northwestern Oklahoma State, Friday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. as part of the 2014 Homecoming festivities.  ECU will then travel to Durant, Okla., for the final GAC road match of the year at Southeastern Oklahoma State, Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m.

Match Notes

The Coverage
Fans who can't be at the game can find links to live stats and live video on ECUTigers.com.  Go to the volleyball schedule page.  

Scouting Northwestern
The Ranges are 13-6 overall and 6-3 in the GAC after falling to Harding (1-3) in their last match Oct. 18.  NWOSU has a slight lead across the season box score, with its biggest advantages coming in hitting percentage (.174 to .135) and blocks per set (2.0 to 1.6).

The Rangers have three players with over 150 kills this season, with Asia Pipkin leading the team with 235.  Pipkin is hitting .219 (235k-77e-723ta) and adds six service aces, 202 digs and 20 (6-14) blocks.  Ashanti Banks is contributing 237 kills, seven service aces, 145 digs and 20 (6-14) blocks.  Elisa Bentson is the final player with over 150 kills at 163.  She is also the team's most consistent hitter at .233 (163k-66e-417ta) and the leading blocker with 69 (16-53).

Against the Rangers
NWOSU was the victor in the earlier meeting in 2014, where they earned a sweep in Alva.

Freshman Madyson Gill led the Tigers with 10 kills and 10 digs, while junior Sarah Simpson added nine kills and 10 digs.

Ashanti Banks was the top performer for the Rangers, with a .481 (14k-1e-27ta) attack percentage and 11 digs.  Alina Fierro was a key for NWOSU as well, with four service aces and seven digs.

The Series
The all-time series with the Rangers is a close one, with a 3-2 advantage for ECU despite the Tigers having lost the last two.  ECU has been stronger at home in the series, going 2-0 in those matches.  The last time the teams met in Ada, the Tigers earned a 3-1 win (Oct. 1, 2013).

Scouting Southeastern
The Savage Storm are 13-11 overall and 6-3 in the GAC after earning a non-conference (3-1) win over Texas A&M Commerce Tuesday.  SEOSU will get one chance to improve their record before hosting the Tigers, as they are set to face NWOSU Saturday, Oct. 25 in Durant.

The Savage Storm are basically even in most statistical categories this season with their opponents, with the biggest advantage coming in service aces at 1.4 to 1.0 per set.

SEOSU has three players that have recorded over 200 kills and 500 attempts this season.  Megan Kunkel leads the Savage Storm with 273 kills, while adding 22 service aces, a team-high 290 digs and 17 (3-14) blocks.  Julia Benford is the most consistent hitter, with a .317 (224k-65e-501ta) hitting percentage and a team-high 68 (15-53) blocks.  Emily Gentle is the most well rounded player in the group with a .203 (264k-104e-788ta), 39 service aces, 250 digs and 67 (7-60) blocks.

Against the Savage Storm
In the first meeting of 2014, SEOSU claimed a 0-3 win in Ada and a .167 (37k-18e-114ta) to .299 (42k-10e-107ta) advantage in team hitting percentage.

Junior Sarah Simpson led the Tigers with 13 kills and nine digs, while sophomore Madison Seiler contributed 24 assists and nine digs.

Julia Benford led the Savage Storm with a .625 (10k-0e-16ta) attack percentage.  Megan Kunkel added nine sills and five digs.

The Series
This will be the 15th meeting in the all-time series between the Tigers and the Savage Storm, with SEOSU holding a 5-9 advantage overall and a 1-5 lead when playing in Durant.  The lone win on the road came last season (Sept. 27, 2013) when ECU defeated the Savage Storm 3-1.

Mackenzie Making a Move
Freshman Mackenzie Davis had a strong week for the Tigers (Sept. 23-27).  Davis tallied 25 kills and a team-high .364 (25k-5e-55ta) hitting percentage.  She also added a team-best eight (1-7) blocks and three service aces in three matches.

Gerken's Golden Moment
Junior Hayley Gerken has a standout performance for ECU in the 3-2 win over St. Gregory's (9/20/14).  Gerken hit .812 (13k-0e-16ta), which would have been a school record for hitting percentage in a match had she gotten four more attempts.  She also added a dig and four (1-3) blocks.

That's a Kill for Gill
Freshman Madyson Gill has become a strong force for ECU early in the season, with three double-doubles at the South Central Classic.  She totaled 63 kills, five service aces, 62 digs and eight (3-5) blocks in the six matches.  She now has a total of six double-doubles on the season.

Up Next
The Tigers will prepare for the final week of GAC action, when they host Henderson State and Dallas Baptist, Saturday, Nov. 1 at the Kerr Activities Center.  The match against the Reddies will start at 2 p.m. and the match against DBU is set for 6 p.m.