ADA – The East Central University volleyball team will be facing strong competition this weekend, as they will be playing one of the two undefeated teams in the Great American Conference and one that is tied for third in the standings. The Tigers (3-12, 0-5 GAC) will first host Arkansas Tech, Friday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. and then battle with Harding, Saturday, Oct. 10 at 2 p.m. in the Kerr Activities Center.
ECU is currently being led by senior
Hayley Gerken, who has 108 kills, a .231 (108k-42e-286ta) attack percentage, 10 service aces, 54 digs and 37 (9-28) blocks. With the numbers Gerken has posted this season, she is close to overtaking the No. 1 spot on several career record lists for the Tigers.
Gerken has 301 career blocks, just two away from the No. 1 position held by Sarah Nelson. She is also just six block solos from the top spot of 51 held by Tatiana Booth and nine from the No. 1 spot of 263 in block assists held by Nelson.
The Orange, Calif., native is also one of the leaders in service aces, as her 10 this year has gotten her within nine of setting the career record in that category as well. The currently the record is 94 set by graduate assistant coach
Danielle Essix. Gerken is also currently third in points (1040.5) and fourth in kills (781).
The Tigers have also seen the sophomore class step up their performance in the last few matches, with sophomore
Madeline Mayer leading the charge. Mayer tallied 30 kills and nine blocks in last week's matches, close to a third of her season totals of 67 kills and 29 (2-27) blocks. Mayer is also second on the team with a .210 (67k-24e-205ta) hitting percentage for the year.
Arkansas Tech comes into this week's action with an 11-5 overall record and a 5-0 mark in the GAC. The Golden Suns will play a match before coming to Ada, as they will face Southeastern Oklahoma State, Friday in Durant, Okla.
ATU is hitting .206 as a team and allowing a .178 mark from its opposition this season. They are leading in all other statistical categories, with the biggest coming in service aces at 1.4 to 0.7 per set.
The Golden Suns have four players with over 100 kills in 2015, with Hunter Eshnaur leading the team with 204. Eshnaur is hitting .118 (204k-103e-538ta) for the year and adds 17 service aces, 138 digs and 23 (4-19) blocks. The most consistent hitter is Katie Huff with a .287 (147k-49e-341ta) percentage. She has also garnered 12 aces and 57 (13-44) blocks.
The series with ATU has not been the best for ECU, as they trail 1-12 and 0-5 when playing as GAC opponents.
Harding is 8-10 overall and 3-2 in the league, which puts them in a five-way tie for third. The Bisons will also have one match before coming to Ada, as they face Southeastern Friday.
Harding is a strong team, hitting .203 for the year and allowing just a .182 mark. While they trail their opponents in most other categories by just a small amount, they do have a 2.4 to 1.7 blocks per set lead.
The Bisons have three key offensive threats in Sara Smith, Zoe Hardin and Molly Howard. Smith is hitting .342 (155k-36e-348ta) for the year and adds 18 service aces and 52 (3-49) blocks. Hardin is hitting .313 (167k-36e-419ta) and has 87 (19-68) blocks. Howard leads the team with 225 kills and has garnered 14 aces, 188 digs and 41 (3-38) blocks.
Saturday's match will be just the seventh in the all-time series with Harding, but the Tigers have yet to earn a win, with a 0-6 overall mark and 0-5record in league play.
