SE Opens GAC Play at SNU on Tuesday

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DURANT, Okla. – Coming off a 3-1 performance at its own South Central Classic, Southeastern volleyball will now dive straight into Great American Conference play when it heads to Bethany, Okla., to face Southern Nazarene in the league opener for both schools on Tuesday, Sept. 17.
 
The Savage Storm enter the contest with a 5-3 record, but posted wins over Mid-America Christian, Cameron and Maryville on the weekend before dropping a heartbreaker to Central Oklahoma in the finale.
 
SE is looking to get off on the right foot in conference play in an effort to improve on its ninth place finish in last season's standings.
 
Having already matched its 2012 win total, the 2013 squad is off to its best start since 2009 when the team opened 6-2 through the first two weekends of the season.
 
Through the first eight games the Storm hold advantages over their opponents in kills per set (12.0-to-11.6), assists per set (11.2-to-11.0) and aces per set (1.9-to-1.1) on the offensive side of the court.
 
Defensively the club is 0.8 reception errors per set better than its opponents in serve receive, and are even with foes in blocks per set at 1.5 per.
 
The offensive improvement has been on the backs of the duo of Emily Gentle and Megan Kunkel.
 
Gentle has pushed her kills per set totals to 4.05, while Kunkel, who was the GAC Offensive Player of the Week after week one, is adding 3.52 kps.  Also helping boost the numbers is a group of five other players that have seen time that are adding at least 1.0 kps.
 
One of those also happens to be the team's setter, Madelynne Cera who is second in the GAC in assists per set at 9.41, while also adding 1.32 kps and 2.14 digs per set.
 
Taylor Benner and Kunkel are tied for the lead in digs on the defensive side of the net with 3.69 digs per set each.  Three other starters, Gentle, Cera and Courtney Miller are each adding 2.00 dps or more as well.
 
The Storm at the net are led by a trio of Ariel Sanders, Julia Benford and Gentle as each is averaging 0.64 blocks per set, while the team averages 1.48 per set combined.
 
SNU enters the matchup at 4-4 on the season, but turned in a 3-1 record in Durant over the weekend in the South Central Classic, matching the storm in record and teams beaten.
 
They are led by Taylor Jacobs who is averaging 3.96 kills per set, while Kira Roberts and Emilee Crawford each add 2.00-or-more per set.
 
Kaylee Piatt leads the offense at setter with 8.07 assists per set, while Taylor Chase will see action in some sets and has dished out 5.14 aps.
 
Abbey Bell leads the back row defense with 3.30 digs per set, while three others average over two dps.
 
Jamie Hope leads the defense at the net with a 1.08 blocks per set average, while the team averages 1.96 bps combined.