The East Central University volleyball team will host two matches this weekend to wrap up a five-match home stand.  The Tigers will first face arch rival Southeastern Oklahoma State, Thursday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. in the annual Blackout Match.  ECU will also host Arkansas-Fort Smith, Friday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. and then travel to Southern Nazarene, Oct. 14.

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.  

Blackout Power to the Storm
Thursday's match is the annual Blackout Match against Southeastern.  Fans are encouraged to wear black to the match and will have a chance to win prize packs.  Fans can Tweet in photos of themselves in their best Blackout the Power of the Storm outfits with the hashtags HearOurRoar and BlackoutPower from the match before the end of the second set.  Three winners will then be selected and announced live between sets two and three.

Scouting Southeastern
The Savage Storm are 10-8 overall and 4-2 in the Great American Conference after earning a win over Southern Nazarene at home Tuesday.  SEOSU has a slight .211 to .209 lead in hitting percentage and a 1.6 to 1.0 advantage in service aces per set over its opponents and had a small lead in all the other areas on the season box score.

The Savage Storm have five players with over 100 kills, but Megan Kunkel and Emily Gentle lead the team all-around.  Kunkel has 193 kills, 602 attempts, 19 service aces, 198 digs and 12 (2-10) blocks.  Gentle adds 185 kills, a .203 (185k-73e-551ta) hitting percentage, 30 service aces, 146 digs and 47 (5-42 blocks).

Against the Savage Storm
Last year the Tigers and SEOSU met on three occasions, with ECU earning wins at each meeting.  

Junior Hayley Gerken leads the returners with 25 kills, a .237 (25k-7e-76ta) attack percentage, seven block assists and two service aces.  Junior Sarah Simpson added nine kills, nine digs and two block assists, while sophomore Madison Seiler earned 36 assists.

Emily Gentle and Megan Kunkle are the key returners for SEOSU.  Gentle tallied 31 kills, 17 digs and six (1-5) blocks, while Kunkle added 21 kills and 35 digs.

The Series
The all-time series with the Savage Storm is one of the longest in school history, with Thursday's match being the 14th meeting.  The Tigers trail 5-8 overall and 4-5 when playing in a league match, but have a 3-3 mark when playing in Ada.  In 2013 the series saw three matches, with ECU winning them all.  This included the first win on the road in the series and the first meeting in the GAC tournament.

Scouting Arkansas Fort Smith
The Lions are 14-3 overall and 8-0 in the Heartland Conference after winning their last five matches.  Only six of the 17 matches that UAFS has played this season have gone past three sets, including a 1-3 loss to Harding from the GAC.  The Lions have also faced Southern Arkansas from the GAC, earning a 3-0 win.

UAFS has a clear advantage in all the statistical categories over its opponents, with hitting percentage, digs and blocks showing the biggest leads.  The Lions are hitting .243 as a team and allowing just a .137 mark, practically due to their 2.0 to 1.4 lead in blocks.

Against the Lions
Last year the teams met on the road, with UAFS earning a 0-3 win.  Junior Hayley Gerken led the team with nine kills, while sophomore Madison Seiler added 20 assists, seven digs and a service ace.

Michelle Walker and Katrina Krstonosic are the key returners for the Lions.  Walker tallied eight kills and four (2-2) blocks, while Krstonosic added six kills, two block assists and one dig.

The Series
The Lions lead the all-time series 0-6 and 0-3 when playing in Ada.  The last meeting was Oct. 15, 2013 with a 0-3 loss for ECU and the last time the series has been played in the Kerr Activities Center was Sept. 11, 2012 with a 0-3 loss for the Tigers.

Scouting Southern Nazarene
The Crimson Storm are currently 12-5 overall and 5-2 in the league after a loss to Southeastern Tuesday.  SNU will face Northwestern, Thursday, before hosting the Tigers next Tuesday (Oct. 14).  The Crimson Storm have played just six matches that have not been finished in three sets (including one against ECU) and only lost in three, three times this season.

SNU is close but trails in most statistical categories, but has a .192 to .148 lead in hitting percentage, a 1.4 to 1.1 lead in service aces per set and a 2.4 to 1.4 blocks per set advantage.

The Crimson Storm have four players with over 100 kills and 275 attempts this season.  Taylor Jacobs and Emilee Crawford lead the offensive charge for SNU.  Jacobs is hitting .286 (203k-55e-517ta) for the season and adds 17 service aces, 127 digs and 73 (4-69) blocks.  Crawford adds 124 kills and 26 (1-25) blocks.

Against the Crimson Storm
Earlier this season the teams meet in Ada and battled to a five-set loss for the Tigers.  Junior Sarah Simpson led the way for ECU with 17 kills, eight digs and three service aces.  Freshman Madyson Gill added 11 kills, a .375 (11k-3e-24ta) hitting percentage, nine digs and two (1-1) blocks.

Taylor Jacobs led the charge for the Crimson Storm with 17 kills, seven digs, nine (1-8) blocks and two service aces.  Emilee Crawford added 11 kills, six digs and two (1-1) blocks.

The Series
The all-time series with SNU currently stands at 1-5 overall and 1-4 in the GAC, with a 0-3 mark when playing in Bethany, Okla.  The last meeting on the road was Nov. 8, 2012, with ECU falling 0-3.

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.

Simpson Stepping Up
Junior Sarah Simpson has started the season strong for the Tigers, leading the team with 147 kills and 13 service aces.  She is also fifth on the team with 119 digs.  Simpson is currently ranked No. 10 in GAC matches for kills per set (3.07).

Up Next
The Tigers will remain on the road next weekend for GAC matches at Ouachita Baptist (Oct. 17) and Henderson State (Oct. 18) in Arkadelphia, Ark.