Volleyball Tops Harding 3-1 on Saturday

DURANT, Okla. - Megan Kunkel piled up 17 kills and Southeastern posted 14 team blocks en route to a 3-1 win over Harding on Saturday morning in Bloomer Sullivan Gym.
 
The win lifts the Savage Storm to 9-8 overall and 3-2 in Great American Conference play and marks the first time in 17 all-time matchups that SE has topped Harding.
 
Kunkel's 17 kills led all attackers as she hit .308 in the process, while Courtney Miller added 14 in the effort.  The Storm held a 51-to-47 edge in kills and hit .193 as a team compared just .093 for HU.
 
Ariel Sanders added eight kills, while Emily Gentle and Julia Benford each tallied five.
 
Alissa Benson triggered the offense with 44 assists on the game while adding six blocks and five digs.
 
SE's defense was dominant at the net with 14 team blocks, led by eight from Sanders and seven from Benford.
 
On the back row Kelsey Zerkel picked up 17 digs, while Miller and Kunkel each completed double-doubles with 11 digs each.
 
SE struck first and survived a back-and-forth first set, scoring nine of the final 11 points to win 27-25.
 
The Bisons evened the score with a 25-22 win in the third set, but Southeastern opened up a 12-point lead at 18-6 in the fourth set and pulled away for the 25-15 win in the third set and a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
SE gave up the first four points, but bounced back with six straight and 10 of the next 11 points to open up a 10-5 lead.
 
HU would chip away and eventually take a 20-18 lead on the Storm, but again Southeastern answered and scored seven of the next nine points  to seal the 25-22 win and the 3-1 match victory.