SE Athletics
DURANT – In the second meeting between Southeastern and East Central, the Savage Storm dominated from the start to secure its first win over its rivals from the north since 2021, winning 3-0.
Alaina Armstrong paced the blue and gold attack with a match-high 13 kills, finishing one shy of tying her career-high. Southeastern finished the match with 34 kills as a team on a .153 attack average and tallied nine service aces and 67 digs. Alexis Williams and Armstrong led the defense at the net, with 5.0 and 4.0 blocks, respectively, while Merrick Hammel notched 22 digs.
Jasmin Dion dished out 28 of the team’s 31 assists and added 12 digs to her totals for a double-double. Armstrong also finished with a double-double, recording 11 digs.
SET ONE
A slow start by the Storm allowed ECU to take a 5-1 lead, but the Tigers’ quick start would soon fizzle out over the next rallies. Southeastern took control of the frame, building a 12-1 run, featuring five kills by Armstrong to grab a 13-6 edge. The Storm kept their foot on the gas, stretching their lead to 18-9 on a 5-0 flurry. SE allowed just five more points in the set, as they went on to take the opening frame 25-14.
SET TWO
Set two opened the SE ahead 5-0, and its advantage soon grew to 10-3 after a pair of kills by Armstrong. The blue and gold held its edge over the Tiger over the next exchanges, but a surge by the visitors trimmed the Southeastern lead to one, 13-12. SE was quick with its reply, rattling off five straight points to stretch the gap to 18-12.
ECU continued to stay close to the blue and gold, but a kill by Williams sparked a 4-0 burst to help set up the set win. A service error by ECU put the Storm at set point, and Noelia Rocha slammed down the final kill for a 25-18 win.
SET THREE
The two sides traded points to open the final frame with East Central ahead by one, 6-5. Southeastern grabbed the lead on a 3-0 run and later extended its advantage to 15-11 on a 5-1 burst.
Little separated the two teams over the next rallies, with SE holding a two-point margin, but a burst of scores for the Tigers pushed them out in front 23-22. Under pressure from the visitors, SE regrouped and weathered the flurry of attacks, scoring the final three points of the frame to secure a 25-23 victory.
Southeastern (8-17, 3-10 GAC) hits the road again, as they travel to Northwestern Oklahoma State on Thursday, Nov. 6, at 6 p.