ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The Ouachita volleyball team will look to snap a two-game losing streak on Thursday evening across the street against Henderson State.

Last season Ouachita (11-5, 2-2 GAC) swept a pair of five set matches against their cross-town rivals Henderson State (14-2, 3-0 GAC). The Tigers are currently riding a three-match winning streak against the Reddies entering Thursday nights matchup.

Ouachita has lost two straight matches in Great American Conference play. The short hiccups against Arkansas Tech and Harding have placed the Tigers toward the middle of the pack in the conference standings.

Meanwhile, Henderson State is currently riding a 13-match winning streak and is currently undefeated in GAC play entering the Battle of the Ravine. The Reddies last loss came on August 25, against Northwest Missouri State in the Washburn Invitational. In three conference matches thus far, the Reddies have yet to drop a set against their opponents.

Both teams rank in the top–five of numerous statistical categories in the GAC. Henderson State leads the conference in hitting percentage at .238, while Ouachita is four one-hundredths behind their counterpart with a .234 hitting percentage.

The matchup will also consist of three of the most prolific hitters in the GAC. For Ouachita, middle blocker Adrianna Nolly (Denton, Texas) enters the matchup having recorded 198 kills and is hitting .322 on the season. Nolly also tops the league in total blocks with 62 on the season.  On the Henderson State side, Adrianna Hartmann currently leads the conference in hitting percentage at .379 and Courtney Bolf is second in the conference with 3.39 kills per set. Karlie Greene is the enforcer on the Henderson side of the net as the junior middle is averaging 1.20 blocks per set to lead the GAC.

The Tigers do hold an advantage at the setter's position. Stormi Leonard (Decatur, Texas) has recorded 583 assists this season and is currently averaging 9.88 assists per set. The senior setter is now just 129 assists away from tying the career GAC mark of 4,142 assists.

Other Tigers to look out for offensively are Katie Camp (Plano, Texas), Tabatha Huckabee (North Richland Hills, Texas), Emily Low (Austin, Texas) and Paige Williams (Springdale, Ark.). Camp is currently second on the team in kills with 142, while Huckabee and Low are right behind with 111 and 108 kills respectively. Williams needs six more kills to join the 100 kill club this season.

On the back line Ouachita has a quartet of players that have been getting after the ball this season. Sophomore libero Julianna Mack (Little Rock, Ark.) currently leads the team with 245 digs. Right behind her though is Hannah Johnston (Greenwood, Ark.) and Shannon Hogan (Plano, Texas), Johnston has recorded 113 digs, while Hogan has registered 98 digs. Senior Nikki Clay (Bryant, Ark.) has brought experience to the group and has dug out 83 balls this season.

The match is scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. first serve inside the Duke Wells Center. Links to the game can be found online at www.obutigers.com and as always follow along the official social media accounts of Ouachita athletics.