The GAC Weekly is on location in Bentonville for the 2018 GAC Softball Tournament.
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On this week’s edition, we get to hear from UAM’s Cole Sears and Ouachita’s Kori Bullard.

GAC Weekly Oct. 19, 2017

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A number of GAC athletes took part in competitions here and abroad during the summer. Today, we visit with one of those, Ouachita’s Kori Bullard, who traveled to Rio with USA D-II Volleyball.

GAC Weekly July 25, 2017

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ARKADELPHIA – Ron Smith of USA Sports Tours & Events announced tour schedule, teams and coaches for the upcoming USA D-2 Volleyball Teams – Brazil Tour 2017. Among those competing will be Ouachita Tiger, Kori Bullard. The junior from Hot Springs, Ark. and 2017 All-GAC First Team selection was hand-selected from some of the best players in NCAA Division II to compete against some of the top talent in Brazil.

The USA D-2 Volleyball Teams are invited NCAA Division II women’s players from across the country. These two teams (RED TEAM & BLACK TEAM) are comprised of players recognized as All Americans, All Region and All Conference.

“It was an honor to be chosen,” Bullard said. “I was actually in Sociology class when they called me. I asked Dr. Kelly if I could step outside to take the call. She asked who it was and I said I thought it was Team USA. She told me to step out and answer it immediately.”

“I’m really excited to get there and start practicing. I’m a little nervous knowing I’ll be on the court with unfamiliar teammates, but to be included with this many talented players is such an honor. I can’t wait to get started. Getting to play against Team Brazil is such a great honor.”

The RED TEAM is made up of 10 players representing seven different colleges and universities and come from six different home states.

The BLACK TEAM is made up of 10 players representing eight different colleges and universities and come from seven different home states and two countries.  These teams truly come from almost every part of the USA and Australia.

“This is an outstanding group of young women.” Ron Smith said. “Many of the players on this year’s USA D-2 / Brazil Tour team had great individual seasons and led their teams into post season play.”  “This tour is designed to expose players to a great volleyball experience while providing a once in a lifetime opportunity for educational, cultural and social growth.”

The USA D-2 Volleyball tour will run from May 29 through June 7.  The teams will begin with orientation in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, May 29 before the team departs for Sao Paulo, Brazil that evening.  The teams will practice on May 30 in the city of Jundiai, before matches on May 31 and June 1 versus one professional team and one club team.  The teams will then travel to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Tuesday, June 2.  In Rio, the teams will be a part of an “International Challenge” on Sunday, June 4.  The “International Challenge” will be two matches versus club teams from the city of Rio de Janeiro.  The two USA D-2 Volleyball teams will be competing against top U22, Adult and professional club teams from the States of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro on this tour.

While in Brazil the teams will experience educational, cultural and social aspects of Brazilian life through city, school and sports club visits.  While in Rio, the team will be staying on the famous Copacabana Beach and touring the Christ the Redeemer Statue and Sugar Loaf Mountain, two of the most recognizable landmarks in the world.

USA D-2 Volleyball Teams’ Rosters

USA D-2 RED Volleyball Team
Maggie Billingsley                                            Notre Dame de Namur University
Lexie Bradley                                                     University of North Alabama
Elizabeth Dowd                                                 Shorter University
MacKenzie Edwards                                       Colorado Mesa University
Miranda Foster                                                 Northwest Missouri State University
Mackenzie Puckett                                         University of Nebraska-Kearney
Briana Sandifer                                                 University of West Alabama
Lindsey Smith                                                    University of Nebraska-Kearney
Tara Ziegelbein                                                 University of Nebraska-Kearney

USA D-2 RED Volleyball Coach
Head Volleyball Coach                                   Stephanie Radecki           University of North Alabama
Assistant Coach                                                Jennifer McCall                 University of North Alabama
Assistant Coach                                                Haley Marett                     University of North Alabama

USA D-2 BLACK Volleyball Team
Sam Blasko                                                        Nova Southeastern University
Erin Braun                                                          University of Alaska-Anchorage
Kori Bullard                                                        Ouachita Baptist University
Bri Civiero                                                          Rollins College
Morgan Hooe                                                      University of Alaska-Anchorage
Katrina Janssen                                                 Caldwell University
Shannon McDonough                                          Rollins College
Allison Olley                                                       University of Minnesota-Duluth
Cathy Scaniffe                                                    King University
Kaitlyn Sibson                                                     Eckerd College

USA D-2 BLACK Volleyball Coach
Head Volleyball Coach                                   Jennifer King                      Nova Southeastern University

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ARKADELPHIA – Chasidee Owens scored a career high 21 points while shooting 73 percent from the floor to lead the Ouachita Lady Tigers to an 82-53 win over Central Baptist College. Three other Tigers finished in double figures as Ouachita evened their season record to 5-5 in their final contest of 2016.

Owens made 8-11 field goal attempts in the game, including a perfect 5-5 in the second of half. As a team, the Lady Tigers shot just under 52 percent from the floor in the second half, outscoring the Lady Mustangs 44-29 in the final two quarters.

The Lady Mustangs only lead came in the opening minute of the contest off of two made free throws. The Lady Tigers rattled off 11 straight points to take an 11-2 lead with 6:69 remaining. Kori Bullard hit back-to-back threes to start the run, followed by consecutive layups from Alivia Huell and a bucket from Katie Kapler. The Lady Tigers continued to pound the ball inside and finished out the quarter with a 17-point lead. In the opening quarter, Ouachita outscored the Lady Mustangs 10-0 in the paint.

The Lady Tigers held a double-digit lead for the entire second quarter, despite being outscored by Central Baptist, 19-16. 10 of the Lady Tigers 16 second-quarter points came in the paint. Madison Brittain and Morgan Miller each hit a three. The Lady Tigers held a 14 point advantage to end the first half of play.

Huell opened the second half with a jumper to give the Lady Tigers a 40-24 lead. A run by the Lady Mustangs cut the Ouachita lead to single digits. A three by Audrey Moran brought Central Baptist within nine, trailing 47-38. Ouachita responded with an 11-1 run, getting the Lady Tiger lead back to 20 to end the third quarter.

The Lady Tigers went to work on the glass in the final quarter. Morgan Miller pulled down two offensive rebounds that were converted into baskets. Owens found an open Miller who drained a three with just over 30 seconds remaining. Stephanie McCann also scored her first basket as a Lady Tiger on a jumper just beyond the free-throw line. The Lady Tigers outscored Central Baptist 21-12 in the final period, winning by a final of 82-53.

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It’s a special holiday edition of the GAC Weekly. We get to visit one-on-one with Ouachita volleyball and basketball player Kori Bullard.

GAC Weekly Dec. 22, 2016

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HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Ouachita survived the upset attempt from Arkansas-Monticello to win in five sets in Thursday’s second quarterfinal at the Great American Conference Volleyball Championships – Presented by Subway, from the Bank of the Ozarks Arena. Three Tigers reached double figures in kills, led by Tabatha Huckabee’s 24.

OFFENSIVE LEADERS:                           
UAM –                  Shay Mitchell: 28 kills, .347 attack percentage
Kya Standford: 15 kills, .387 attack percentage, 21.0 points
Kendall Vondra: 63 assists
OUA –                  Tabatha Huckabee: 24 kills, .358 attack percentage
Caitlin Cantrell: 17 kills, .350 attack percentage
Kori Bullard: 17 kills, four aces, 23.0 points

DEFENSIVE LEADERS:
UAM –                  Macy Mitchell: 40 digs
Carolina Gasparini: 18 digs, five blocks
Stanford: 10 blocks
OUA –                   Ashley Wake: 36 digs
Stormi Leonard: 19 digs, 60 assists
Jayme Shell: 18 digs

FIRST SET HIGHLIGHTS:
Standford, Shay Mitchell and Maggie Pyles each totaled four kills as the Blossoms took the opening set, 26-24. UAM took a 13-8 lead only to see Ouachita rally off six straight points. From that point on, neither team held a lead greater than three points. Stanford hit .800 and scored 5.5 points. Kendall Vondra dished out 14 assists and Macy Mitchell tallied 14 digs in a      set that included six ties.

SECOND SET HIGHLIGHTS:
Ouachita evened the contest with a 25-14 decision in the second set. After hitting .146 in the opening set, the Tigers hit .345, led by Caitlin Cantrell, who racked up six kills and hit .750 in the set. The Tiger defense also stepped up, limiting the Blossoms to a .059 attack percentage, after they hit .229 in winning the first set. Standford continued her strong play by picking up six more kills, against only one error, in nine attempts.

THIRD SET HIGHLIGHTS:
For the second time in the contest, the Tigers and Blossoms went beyond the 25-point march as the Tigers won the set, 29-27. The set saw the score tied 10 times. Huckabee has a dominant set as after totaling five kills in the opening two sets, she tallied nine and accounted for 9.5 points. Stormi Leonard handed out 15 assists. On the UAM side, Shay Mitchell, who had hit .182 in the first two sets, hit .429 after registering six kills against only one error.

FOURTH SET HIGHLIGHTS:
The Blossoms ran off the first four points of the set and never allowed the Tigers to take the lead, despite coming back to tie the set twice. The Blossoms put together their best attacking set of the match, hitting .288. Shay Mitchell continued to excel as she collected nine kills without an error on any of her 22 attempts. Vondra registered an assist on 19 of UAM’s 21 kills in the set. She added six digs. For Ouachita, Huckabee recorded her second-straight set with nine kills and hit .600 for the set.

FIFTH SET HIGHLIGHTS:
Ouachita pulled out a 15-13 win in the decisive fifth set, a set that featured six ties and two lead changes. Kori Bullard’s fourth ace of the match gave the Tigers the winning point.

NOTABLE:

• With Ouachita’s win, teams losing the first set of a GAC Championship match improved to 8-29.
• In matches tied after two sets, the winner of set three has gone on to win 13 of the 16 such contests.
• Ouachita-UAM: eighth GAC Championship match to go five sets – the higher seed improved to 8-0.
• Ouachita: Tied GAC Championship record for digs in a match, 116 (tying its own record set vs Southwestern Oklahoma State set on November 21, 2013)
• Mitchell (UAM): 28 kills – GAC Championship single match record (old record: 24 by SWOSU’s Carly Zak vs Northwestern Oklahoma State on Nov. 19, 2015)
• UAM – tied the GAC Championship record for assists in a match with 71 (tied Arkansas Tech vs Harding on November 12, 2011)

WHAT’S NEXT:
Ouachita will face Southern Nazarene at 3:30 p.m. on Friday.

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ARKADELPHIA – The Ouachita Tigers’ volleyball team earned their fourth straight win after defeating Northwestern Oklahoma State by a final of 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-19). Jayme Shell led the Tigers with 13 kills while Kori Bullard finished with 10 kills and five blocks. Stormi Leonard finished them match with 36 assists and nine digs and Ashley Wake recorded 21 digs.

The Tigers hit .224 for the match recording total kills, 20 of those coming in the third and final set when Ouachita recorded a match-high .366 attack percentage. Shell was the leading attacker for the Tigers in all three sets, notching four, three and six respectively. Her 13 kills were a season high. Bullard was right behind Shell through each set, finishing with the three sets with three, two and five kills respectively.

The Tigers held the Rangers to a .000 attack percentage in set two. They dominated play at the net, recording six team blocks with Bullard leading the way with one solo block and three assisted blocks. Tabatha Huckabee finished the set with a solo block and two block assists.

Ashley Wake recorded a match-high eight digs in the third set and averaged seven per set for the match. Nikki clay also recorded double-digits in digs, finishing with 11. Stormi Leonard notched a match-high 18 assists in set three to lead the Tigers offense to it’s fourth-straight victory.

The 15-5 Ouachita Tigers will welcome 9-13 Southwestern Oklahoma State to Sturgis Center on Saturday, Oct. 22. The match is set to begin at 1:00 p.m.

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Alyssa Arnold, John Brown, S, junior
Arnold recorded more than 1,300 assists in 2015, which was second in the SAC, and was also third on her team in digs. However, with the graduation of Libby Blasingame and All-American Audrey Dearien, Arnold will be directing her sets to a different group of hitters this year as the Golden Eagles try to earn double-digits in wins in the SAC for a fourth straight year.

Kori Bullard, Ouachita, MH, junior
Bullard fills the middle well and has averaged 72 blocks per season in her first two years at Ouachita. She is a two-sport star who also plays basketball for the Tigers, and may be called upon more in 2016 for her offense as well. Bullard was second on the team in kills last season at 2.92 per set – behind only Abby Pickett, the GAC Player of the Year – and she hit .292 on the year.

Ouachita’s Kori Bullard. Photo courtesy Ouachita Sports Info.

Kennedi Coleman, Arkansas-Fort Smith, OH, senior
With trips to the Elite Eight in 2015 and to the Final Four in 2014, this UAFS senior class has a lot of quality experience racked up. Coleman is one of those seniors who could make a big mark this season. She led the team in kills at 3.63 per set while hitting .217. Her defense was effective also as she had 71 blocks and 108 digs. Coleman was the only player to play in and start all 33 matches last year.

Lauren Corby, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, OH, junior
Points came at a premium last season for the Lions, but Corby along with Kayla Dowdell were key on offense during the wins. Dowdell has graduated and Corby should fill an even larger role this year. She had a near triple-double in the season finale, which was a win for UAPB. Can that be the springboard for a strong year in 2016?

Hunter Eshnaur, Arkansas Tech, OH, sophomore
As a freshman, Eshnaur led the GAC in points, earning 4.4 per set for her team. She was also third in the league with in kills (3.76 per set) and in service aces (.44 per set). Eshnaur was the 2015 GAC Freshman of the Year. She will be receiving passes from a new setter this year, with the departure of Sarita Stegall, but Arkansas Tech has become a factory under coach Kristy Bayer in developing setters in recent years and her scoring pace should continue unabated.

Zoe Hardin, Harding, MH, sophomore
Hardin is a force on the inside and could be big in bringing Harding back to the top of the GAC and beyond. She averaged 1.38 blocks per set, which was seventh in Division II in 2015, and had 159 total. Hardin also averaged 2.72 kills per set while hitting .315 on the year, third in the GAC. This is a team that should only get better over the next three seasons.

Adrianna Hartmann, Henderson State, MH, freshman
Offense was lacking for the Reddies in 2015, but coach Kristee Porter going into her second season on the job was able to sign a strong class in the winter. Hartmann could bring immediate help to the court. The incoming freshman recorded more than 500 kills in just her junior year at Fredericksburg (Texas) H.S. At 6-foot-2, Hartmann, along with 6-foot-3 sophomore Gabby Ginapp, may be able to shore up the HSU defense in the middle.

Serena LaDuff, Southern Arkansas, OH, senior
LaDuff, the GAC Newcomer of the year in 2015, led the league with 3.90 per set and recorded 499 on the season. She is a leader on a strong senior class that should help the transition for Brittany Davis from assistant into the position of head coach. LaDuff notched a league-high 26 kills in a five-set match against Southern Nazarene last season.

Audra Nailling, Williams Baptist, MH, sophomore
Nailling is the leading returner in blocks for the Eagles and has the second best hitting percentage returning. The sophomore brings height to the middle and is effective on offense. WBC has won 20 or more games in seven of the last nine seasons and are averaging 23 wins per season. Nailling will be key to keeping that streak going.

Hendrix’s M.C. Rogers. Photo courtesy HC Sports Info.

M.C. Rogers, Hendrix, OH, senior
Whoever takes over as head coach for the Warriors will inherit a roster that is heavy laden with seniors full of experience, led by Rogers. The 6-foot-2 outside hitter led the team in kills (3.17 per set) and was second in digs (3.35 per set) and second in service aces (35). Her presence can be felt all around the court and in the midst of the Warriors’ playoff run to the D-III national semifinals, Rogers had back-to-back games of at least 20 kills and at least 22 digs.

Markie Schaedig, Arkansas State, DS, senior
As a junior, Schaedig had 537 digs, which was 10th on the ASU list for a season and was second in the Sun Belt and 13th in Division I. She also owns the top spot on that list as well (762, 2014). Schaedig was the Sun Belt Defensive Student-Athlete of the Year in ’15 and an honorable mention All-American in ’14. She is one of five seniors and could help lead the team back to return trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Edina Selimovic, Little Rock, MH, senior
Selimovic is in Little Rock record books and in the top 10 in career block assists, aces and total blocks and her career hitting percentage of .318 is currently at the top of that list as well. In her time with the Trojans, Selimovic has started in all 63 matches and played in all 224 sets in which she has had an opportunity to play. One of four seniors on the roster, the team needs her offense and leadership to keep pace with Arkansas State in the Sun Belt this year.

Rachel Sharp, Central Arkansas, OH, senior
UCA signed a large class this spring, with some players that will compete on the new beach volleyball team. But Sharp will be the lone senior on the squad in ’16. At 6-foot-1, she brings height to the outside and is the leading returner in service aces. Sharp is an all-around player who hit .165 last year and contributed significantly with both blocks and digs.

Savannah Shelton, Philander Smith, DS, freshman
The future could be now for Shelton, who comes to Philander Smith from just down the road in Bryant. It’s a young roster and the freshman has a chance to hit the court right off the bat, as she can serve, set and plays solid on defense as well.

Arkansas-Monticello’s Kya Standford. Photo courtesy UAM Sports Info.

Kya Standford, Arkansas-Monticello, MH, senior
Standford played in only 99 sets last year, but recorded 82 total blocks. She also led the Cotton Blossoms with a hitting percentage of .209, fifth all-time for the program. Standford seemed to get stronger as the season went along and scored double figures in points in six of the last 11 games. Her presence in the middle will be important for UAM this year.

Madisson Williams, Lyon, L, sophomore
Williams averaged 3.4 digs per set as a freshman and had 22 aces while not afraid to be aggressive on the serve. A member of a big freshman class in 2015, Williams and the Scots had the most wins (17) for the program since 2008 and the Scots look to poised to build on that in 2016.

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