FULTON, Mo. -- The William Woods University volleyball team opens the 2013 American Midwest Conference Tournament at home as they host Freed-Hardeman University on Tuesday night. First serve for this AMC First Round matchup is set for 7 p.m.

William Woods (14-21, 8-3 AMC) ended the conference's regular season at 8-3, which was good enough for a fourth-place tie with conference newcomer Freed-Hardeman University (16-9, 8-3 AMC). The Owls earned the tournament's fourth seed because of its 3-0 (25-14, 25-16, 25-22) victory over FHU at Anderson Arena back on Oct. 12.

WWU concluded the 2013 regular season with a two-match losing streak to then No. 25 Missouri Baptist University and No. 12 Park University. The Owls dropped both home matches in straight sets. Conversely, FHU comes into the conference tournament off a win, as they defeated fellow AMC debutant Mid-Continent University in straight sets on Nov. 5. They have won seven straight conference matches going into Tuesday's match.

Match Notes

New Year, Same Result  
This year marks the second straight season that William Woods has earned the fourth seed in the AMC Tournament. Last season the Owls defeated No. 5 seed Hannibal-LaGrange University 3-1 (21-25, 25-22, 25-16, 25-23) at Anderson Arena, before ending its season at Columbia College in the AMC Semifinals.

AMC Tournament Notes
Since the 2002 season, the William Woods University volleyball team has qualified for 11 AMC Tournaments. Their postseason record during that time is 6-11.

The Owls have made one appearance in the AMC Championships, which came in 2009 when WWU suffered a loss to Columbia College.

Since head coach Monica Herschelman arrived back in the 2011 season, the Owls are an even 2-2 in the AMC Tournament. They have collected at least one win in each of the last two tournaments and have lost to Columbia College in the AMC Semifinals both times.

Record-Breaking Performance
When these two teams met back on Oct. 12, junior Kristen Bauer set a school record for the most kills in a three-set match with 19 kills.

Single-Season Dig Record
Earlier this season, junior libero Abbie O'Mara set the school record for the most digs in a single season. The St. Peters, Mo., native ended the regular season with 824 digs, exactly 20 more than the Skye Wade's previous record of 804 digs back in the 2009 season.

Slaying A Cougar
Though the Owls defeated Freed-Hardeman University in straight sets back on Oct. 12, William Woods still knows they are a dangerous squad.

The Lady Lions hold the distinction of ending Columbia College's 153-match conference regular season winning streak. FHU defeated the Cougars in a thrilling five-set match back on Sept. 14 in Henderson, Tenn.

 National Rankings
Junior Abbie O'Mara concluded her 2013 regular season with the second-most digs in the NAIA with 824, 54 behind national leader Amanda McKenzie from Carlow University. As a team, the Owls finished the regular season with the sixth-highest total in digs with 2,497.

Emily Becker's 442 kills was the 21st-highest total in the NAIA, and her output helped the Owls claim the 44th-most kills in the NAIA this season.

William Woods also handed out the 48th-most assists this season with 1,353, thanks in large part to freshman setter Sara Stevenson's 1,188 assists which was the 24th-most for a player this season.

Knowing Your Opponent – Freed-Hardeman University
The Lady Lions ended its first season in the AMC with a 16-9 record overall and an 8-3 mark in league play. Freed-Hardeman finished its inaugural season in a fourth-place tie with William Woods, yet will have the tournament's fifth seed due to its loss to the Owls during the regular season.

FHU ended the regular season with a 3-0 (26-24, 25-12, 25-18) win over Mid-Continent University to force the tie with William Woods. The Lady Lions have won seven straight conference matches going into the tournament, with their last loss coming at William Woods back on Oct. 12.

Sophomore Daymari Brito led the team this season with her 333-kill output. Brito collected a team-high 16 double-digit kill matches, including a 12-kill performance against WWU back on Oct. 12. The Venezuelan native has posted 20 or more kills in five matches this season.

As a team, the Lady Lions are hitting .222, while holding its opponents to a .200 hitting percentage. Renata Ferreira's .380 hitting percentage is tops on the team.  

Defensively, Freed-Hardeman has collected 993 digs on the year, and are led by Michelle Bennett's 256 digs.

Series At A Glance
This will be the second-ever meeting between these two teams, as William Woods holds a 1-0 advantage in the all-time series.

Check back with wwuowls.com for a full recap of this and every match the Owls play in the AMC Tournament.