Volleyball Picks up 3-2 Win over NWOSU

DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern bounced back from a first set loss and picked up an hard fought 3-2 victory over Northwestern Oklahoma State for its second-straight win both overall and in Great American Conference play on Saturday night in Bloomer Sullivan Gymnasium.
 
The Savage Storm improve to 14-11 overall and 7-3 in GAC play, moving ahead of the Rangers into fourth place in the league standings just a half-game behind Southern Nazarene in third.
 
SE will be back in action Oct. 28 when it welcomes rival East Central to Bloomer Sullivan Gymnasium for a 7 p.m. match.
 
Megan Kunkel paced Southeastern with 18 kills, while Emily Gentle added 13 and Julia Benford chipped in 12.
 
Alissa Benson triggered the offense with 42 assists while adding six kills, seven digs and four blocks.  Madelynne Cera added eight assists.
 
Emily Gentle wrapped up a double-double by adding 22 digs, while Kunkel also completed a double-double with 13 digs.  Kelsey Zerkel also reached double-digit digs with 17.
 
The match turned into a block party with the Storm combining for 16 blocks as a team, led by eight from Benford, while Sanders added six and Gentle chipped in five.
 
The teams fought to a 14-14 tie in the first set, but NWOSU would 11of the final 15 points to pull away for a 25-18 win in the set.
 
The Storm would even the match by staking itself to an early two-point lead and maintaining the advantage until the Rangers took an 18-17 lead, but SE would score eight of the final 11 points for a 25-21 win.
 
Southeastern rallied in the third set from a 17-12 deficit to pick up the 25-23 win and take a 2-1 lead.
 
However, NWOSU answered by taking an early lead and not relinquishing it in the fourth set to win 25-21 and event he match at 2-2.
 
In the fifth set the team worked to a 7-7 tie when the Storm reeled off four-straight points and nine of the next 11 points to mount a 12-7 lead and hold on for a 15-12 win in the deciding set.