MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The Southern Arkansas Volleyball team is preparing for its final home weekend of the 2018 season as it welcomes in the final two Oklahoma opponents on the schedule into the W.T. Watson Center for Dig Pink Weekend. The Muleriders battle East Central at 6 p.m. on Friday, October 12 and will play host to Southeastern Oklahoma State on Saturday in a 1 p.m. first-serve.
 
Fans can access live coverage links for both matches at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.
 
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
 
Southern Arkansas (7-15, 1-8 GAC)

• The Muleriders enter the final three weeks of the season on the outside looking in for clinching a spot in the Great American Conference Tournament. SAU is currently three games back of the eighth and final playoff spot with seven matches remaining in the regular season. Of those seven matches, five are at home.
• SAU holds a 5-4 mark inside the W.T. Watson Center this season and under third-year head coach Britney Davis, the Muleriders are 16-16 at home.
• Through 22 matches, Southern Arkansas ranks sixth in both blocks per set (1.77) and service aces per set (1.47) and the team's 15.68 digs per set rank eighth.
• Freshman Camryn Bihary ranks fifth in the Great American Conference in digs per set at 4.60 and her 0.29 service aces per set places tenth.
• Sophomore Lauren Smith ranks ninth in the league with 0.82 blocks per set and she has totaled 58.0 total blocks so far in 2018. Her 55 block assists rank sixth in the GAC.

 
East Central (0-21, 0-9 GAC)

• The Tigers come to Magnolia looking for the team's first win in 2018. Seventeen of the team's 21 matches have been away from the Kerr Activities Center; the Tigers' home court.
• This season, East Central is attacking at a clip of .092 and averages 9.62 kills behind 8.78 assists. Defensively, the Tigers average 1.29 blocks per set, 0.86 service aces and 15.18 digs per set.
• Four Tigers have recorded 100 or more kills this season with Karina Erreguin's 182 kills leading the team.
• Sydney Dungen's 6.72 assists per set ranks ninth in the GAC, while Abby Wehrman's 4.49 digs per set is the league's sixth-best mark.
• Since 2011, Southern Arkansas has won six of the nine meetings against the Tigers including an opening round victory in the 2012 GAC Tournament.

 
Southeastern Oklahoma State (6-15, 2-7 GAC)

• The Savage Storm are two games back of the eighth spot for the GAC Tournament and are looking to snap a four-match league losing streak in Monticello on Friday night, before swinging back through to Magnolia on Saturday.
• SE hits at .129 and delivers 11.03 kills per set from an assist rate of 10.42. Additionally, the Savage Storm collect 1.13 blocks, 1.16 service aces, and 15.65 digs per set.
• Caitlin Cosby is one of the league's top setters averaging the second-most digs per set of 5.18. Abby Jameson's 2.99 kills per set ranks ninth in the GAC and Sydney Meget's 6.89 assists per set is the seventh-best clip.
• Southeastern has won six of the ten meetings with the Muleriders since 2011, including a pair of matchups in the GAC Tournament.