Volleyball Takes Second-Straight GAC Match

Box Score PHOTO GALLERY

DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern picked up its second-straight win and moved to 4-3 in Great American Conference play with a 3-0 victory over Arkansas-Monticello on Saturday afternoon in Bloomer Sullivan Gymnasium.
 
The win lifts the Savage Storm to 10-11 overall on the season and 4-3 in league play, while UAM drops to 11-12 overall and 206 in GAC play.
 
The SE win, coupled with losses by Southern Arkansas and Southwestern Oklahoma State, creates a three-way tie for fourth in the conference standings between those three schools, with the Storm set to host SWOSU at 7 p.m. on Oct. 22 in the third game of this three-game home stand.
 
Ariel Sanders paced an SE offense that outhit UAM .204-to-.018 and held a 40-to-25 edge in kills.
 
Sanders finished with 11 kills in the effort, while Emily Gentle added eight, Maggie Benson chipped in seven and Madelynne Cera and Courtney Miller each pitched in six.
 
Cera dished out three 24 assists in addition to her six kills and also added three digs and a block.
 
Taylor Benner and Miller were busy on the back row with Benner leading all defenders with 18 digs and Miller right behind with 16.
 
Sanders led the net defense with four blocks, two of which were solos, while Gentle and Julia Benford each added three.
 
SE ran out to an 8-2 lead in the first set and never really look back.  UAM would close to within three points as late as 17-14, but Maggie Benson would trigger a three point SE run and the Storm would pull away with the 25-18 win.
 
The second set was the closest of the three, with UAM twice taking a lead and ultimately tying the match at 14-14 before a 6-0 Storm run helped SE outscore the Cotton Blossoms 11-3 over the remainder of the set for the 25-17 win.
 
The third set traded shots early, but a side-out kill by Sanders would put Gentle on serve for the next 10 SE points and when the dust settled the Storm had mounted a 15-3 lead.  The Blossoms made a late run to close the gap to 22-14, but SE would eventually pull off the 25-15 victory to clinch the match.