The East Central University volleyball team will have a busy week, with four matches in the next seven days.  The Lady Tigers will start with two conference matches against Southwestern Oklahoma State (Sept. 16) and Northwestern Oklahoma State (Sept. 18).  The final two will be non-conference match-ups with St. Gregory's (Sept. 20) and Bacone College (Sept. 23).
 
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 Southwestern
The Bulldogs are 2-4 overall and 1-0 in the Great American Conference after a 3-2 win over Southeastern Oklahoma State (Sept. 9) and a sweep of St. Gregory's (Sept. 11).  SWOSU has not had the best start to the season in the hitting percentage column, with a .100 (211k-136e-750ta) mark.  However, they are allowing just a .180 (241k-111e-721ta) percentage by the opposition.
 
Carly Zack and Joey Collins led the Bulldogs with over 50 kills each.  Zak has 56 kills, while Collins has tallied 55 and adds five service aces and 65 digs.
 
Against the Bulldogs
Last year the teams each won a match on their home court.  Junior Hayley Gerken leads the ECU returners with 19 kills and five blocks from the series.
 
Carly Zak garnered 18 kills and five block assists, while Joey Collins added 12 kills, five service aces and 10 digs.
 
The Series
Tuesday's meeting will be the 10th in the all-time series, with the Lady Tigers leading 6-3.  This will be the sixth meeting in Weatherford, Okla., with the Bulldogs holding a 2-3 advantage.  SWOSU won the last match on the road (Nov. 5, 2013), with the last ECU victory on the road coming Sept. 18, 2012.
 
Scouting Northwestern
The Rangers are 4-3 overall and have not yet faced a GAC opponent in 2014.  NWOSU will face Langston at home before hosting the Lady Tigers Thursday.  The Rangers are close to their opponents in most statistical categories, but have a slight .151 (368k-190e-1177ta) to .128 (348k-200e-1159ta) lead in hitting percentage.
 
Asia Pipkin is the team's offensive leader, with  a .233 (99k-31e-292ta) hitting percentage, 99 kills, 83 digs and 12 (2-10) blocks.
 
Against the Rangers
The teams meet on two occasions in 2013, with each team picking up a win on their home court.  Hayley Gerken tallied 20 kills, six service aces and a .240 (20k-8e-50ta) hitting percentage in the series.
 
Asia Pipkin was the leader for the Rangers with 50 kills and 53 digs.
 
The Series
Thursday's meeting is just the fifth in the all-time series, with only two of the previous matches having been played in Alva.  ECU holds a 3-1 lead in the series, but it is tied at 1-1 when playing on the road.
 
Scouting St. Gregory's
The Cavaliers are 4-7 overall and will face Oklahoma Baptist Monday and Southwestern Christian Thursday before hosting the Lady Tigers.
 
Tiphani Funk is the clear leader for SGU, with 137 kills, 16 service aces, 75 digs and 19 (5-14) blocks.  Cierra Mullins is next on the list with 77 kills, 55 assists, nine service aces, 97 digs and 16 block assists.
 
Against the Cavaliers
A year ago ECU claimed a 3-0 win over SGU at the Kerr Activities Center (Sept. 17).  Hayley Gerken garnered 10 kills and a .500 (10k-0e-20ta) attack percentage.  Madison Seiler added 16 assists and seven digs.
 
Cierra Mullins paced the Cavaliers with four kills and four digs.
 
The Series
The Lady Tigers hold a 3-0 advantage in the all-time series, including a 1-0 mark when playing on the road.
 
Scouting Bacone College
The Warriors are 5-4 overall and will play just two matches over the weekend before traveling to Ada next Tuesday.
 
Latisha Brittenham is the standout for Bacone, with 103 kills, a .275 (103k-37e-240ta) hitting percentage, 15 service aces, 18 (10-8) blocks and 45 digs.
 
The Series
This is just the second meeting in the series, with ECU having claimed a 3-0 win Oct. 11, 2011.
 
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.
 
Simpson Stepping Up
Junior Sarah Simpson has started the season strong for the Lady Tigers, leading the team with 95 kills and nine service aces.  She is also fourth on the team with 63 digs.  Simpson is currently ranked No. 1 in GAC matches for kills per set (3.40), No. 4 in points per set (4.00) and No. 7 in service aces per set (0.60).
 
Up Next
The Lady Tigers will start the bulk of the GAC season next weekend with matches at Arkansas-Monticello (Sept. 26) and Southern Arkansas (Sept. 27).