SHAWNEE, Okla.—Southern Nazarene Volleyball is set to once again play in the Great American Conference Championship Tournament. Since becoming full members of the conference in 2014, the Crimson Storm have never missed out on clinching a spot in the tournament.
The Storm enter the tournament as the No. 6 seed. They climbed as high as 3rd in the GAC at one point, but a tough schedule down the stretch dropped them to sixth. As the sixth seed, Southern Nazarene will meet Southwestern Oklahoma State in a rematch as the teams just played last Thursday to close out the regular season. In their two matches this season, SNU and SWOSU split as the home team won each time. The Crimson Storm defeated the Bulldogs in five sets at the Sawyer Center early in the year, while SWOSU got their revenge with a four-set win in Weatherford one week ago.
The teams have met just twice in postseason play, where the Bulldogs have won each time. Their last GAC Tournament meeting came in 2018 when SWOSU defeated the Storm in four sets.
SNU currently holds an all-time record of 8-7 at the GAC Championships, but have dropped their last three matches. The Storm won the tournament in 2016, sweeping their way through all three opponents on their way to their only GAC Championship.
This is the first year the tournament will be held in Oklahoma. Previously, the tournament had always taken place in Hot Springs, Arkansas, but was moved to the Firelake Arena in Shawnee, Oklahoma this year.
The Storm bring plenty of experience into the tournament and are led offensively by Sunny Batschelett and Whitney Bowie. Batschelett has totaled 341 kills this season, good for 3.16 kills per set. Bowie has added 295 kills for 2.71 kills per set.
Most of the offense has been set up by Kaley Brubaker. She finished the regular season 2nd in the GAC in assists with 1,116. Her 10.53 assists per set currently ranks 7th in single-season SNU history.
Defensively, Bowie, as well as Bailey Grimes, each lead the team with 97 total blocks. Libero Madeline Lynch leads the team with 479 digs.
SNU drew the early match of the tournament as they are set for a 10:00 a.m. first serve tomorrow, November 10 at the Firelake Arena in Shawnee, Oklahoma. With a win, SNU would advance to the semifinals on Friday at 2:00 p.m. to take on the winner of Oklahoma Baptist vs. Northwestern Oklahoma State. The championship match is set for 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.
To find out more about the tournament, visit the GAC Tournament Page.
