Tonight's 6 p.m. volleyball game between Clark Atlanta and Savannah State in L.S. Epps Gymnasium will be a big one for several reasons.

The match is the final home game for the Lady Panthers (11-9, 6-7 SIAC).  It's also Senior Night when Kia Thomas, Amirah Bentley, TiAna Crider, and Imani Baker play their final home games for CAU.

Another reason it's a big match is that both CAU and Savannah State (10-11, 6-7 SIAC) are battling for a higher seeding in next week's Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship Tournament, Nov. 15-17 in Rock Hill, S.C.  

Both teams have 6-7 conference records, but Savannah State is ranked third in the SIAC East Division due to their divisional record. Savannah State is 3-3 while fourth-ranked CAU is 2-4 with both teams left with two games to play this regular season.

The fourth-place team in the East will play undefeated Spring Hill, the No. 1 team in the West at 17-0 in the conference, while the third-ranked team would play against either Central State or Kentucky State, both 14-3 in the SIAC.

After Tuesday's game, Savannah State host East Division leader Albany State on Friday while CAU visits fifth-place Fort Valley State on Thursday.

The Lady Panthers have lost two of their last three matches, falling to Albany State 3-0 on Oct. 26, 3-1 to Benedict this past Friday, but defeating Allen 3-0 the next day.   Savannah State has won their last two, defeating Allen Friday and Fort Valley State Sunday.

The last time the two teams matched up was during Savannah State's homecoming weekend with CAU losing the match 3-0, though each set were close battles.

Thomas and Bentley lead the Lady Panthers as they head into these pivotal matches.  Thomas ranks fifth in kills in the SIAC and is seventh in hitting percentage, while Bentley is fourth in the conference in assists, with 7.36 per set.

Imani Williamson leads Savannah State with 127 kills, while Jerilyn Brown and Jediah Daniels add 107 and 116 kills this season.

Tuesday's match, along with the Senior Night ceremony, can be seen live at https://www.facebook.com/clarkatlantapanthers.