The East Central University volleyball team will hit the road for a pair of Great American Conference matches this weekend.  The Tigers will first battle Arkansas-Monticello, Friday, Sept. 26 at 6 p.m. and then travel on to face Southern Arkansas, Saturday, Sept. 27 at 2 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 Arkansas-Monticello
The Cotton Blossoms are 4-5 overall and 1-2 in the GAC after falling to Southern Arkansas Tuesday night as part of a tri-match with Central Baptist.  UAM earned a win over CBU (3-0), but fell to SAU (1-3).  The Cotton Blossoms are struggling with hitting percentage as a team this season, but are not allowing their opponents to have a much better outcome.  UAM is hitting .097 for the year and is allowing just a .126 mark.

The Cotton Blossoms have spread out the numbers on the box score this season, with just two players having recorded more than 59 kills.  Tasha Evans is the most consistent hitter for UAM, with 59 kills and a .218 (59k-27e-147ta) attack percentage.  She also adds 29 (4-25) blocks.  Sydni Schulz contributes a team-high 63 kills, but is hitting just .103 (63k-39e-234ta).

Against the Cotton Blossoms
ECU and UAM met in the Kerr Activities Center in 2013, with the Tigers claiming a 3-0 win.  Junior Hayley Gerken and Madison Seiler are the only two players to see action in the contest.  Gerken tallied seven kills, while Seiler added 17 assists.

The Cotton Blossoms only have four returners from the match in 2013, with Kedra Johnson leading them with four kills, a .444 (4k-0e-9ta) hitting percentage and one dig.

The Series
Last season the Tigers and UAM meet just once with ECU earning a 3-0 win at home (10/18/13).  The Tigers trail 3-4 overall in the series, but have a 3-1 lead when playing as members of the GAC.  The series is tied when the matches have been played in Monticello (1-1).  The Cotton Blossoms earned a win in the last road meeting (10/12/12 - L, 1-3), with ECU earning a 3-0 win in the first (9/23/11).

Scouting Southern Arkansas
The Muleriders are 3-11 overall and 1-2 in the GAC hosting a tri-match with UAM and Central Baptist Tuesday.  SAU earned a 3-1 win over UAM and a 3-0 victory over CBU.  The Muleriders will be in action Friday, Sept. 26 at home against Southeastern before hosting the Tigers.

SAU is trailing its opponents in offensive statistical categories this season, but has a lead on the defensive side.  The Muleriders are hitting just .168 as a team and allowing a .210 mark, but have a 14.5 to 14.4 digs per set and 2.0 to 1.9 blocks per set advantage.

There are two players on the 2014 roster that have garnered over 100 kills, 10 service aces, 50 digs and 20 blocks.  Amanda Monge is the leader of the two, with a .258 (143k-37e-411ta) hitting percentage, 143 kills, 19 service aces, 52 digs and 25 (3-22) total blocks.  Hailey McNee adds 105 kills, 10 service aces, 116 digs and 24 (2-22) blocks.  Alli O'Banion is also a threat with 94 kills and 49 (11-38) total blocks.

Against the Muleriders
In 2013, ECU earned a 3-1 win at home (10/19/13), as the lone match of the season.  Junior Hayley Gerken tallied six kills, two digs, five (1-4) blocks, and one service ace for the Tigers.  Sophomore Madison Seiler added 30 assists and eight digs.

Amanda Monge, Hailey McNee and Logan Tobart were the leaders for the Muleriders.  Monge led the team with 10 kills a .269 (10k-3e-26ta) hitting percentage, four block assists and one service ace.    McNee and Tobart each tallied nine kills, with Tobart adding six (1-5) blocks.

The Series
The Tigers currently hold a 5-3 lead in the all-time series, but the teams are tied with two wins each when playing as members of the GAC.  However, ECU has not won a match when playing in Magnolia.  The Tigers have lost both matches on the road 2-3, with the last coming in 2012 (10/13/12).

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.

Turning a Corner
The Tigers seemed to have turned a corner on the season, earning two-straight wins.  ECU defeated St. Gregory's (3-2) Sept. 20 and then followed that with a 3-0 win over Bacone College Sept. 23.

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, including three-straight.

Simpson Stepping Up
Junior Sarah Simpson has started the season strong for the Tigers, leading the team with 141 kills and 3 service aces.  She is also fifth on the team with 112 digs.  Simpson is currently ranked No. 6 in GAC matches for kills per set (3.08) and No. 7 in points per set (3.42).

Up Next
The Tigers will set a much needed week off before hosting two conference matches Oct. 3-4.  ECU will play Harding, Friday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. and then Arkansas Tech, Saturday, Oct. 4 at 2 p.m. in the Kerr Activities Center.