DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern head coach
Nicole Solum has announced the addition of 10 new members to the Savage Storm family for the upcoming volleyball season.
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A total of eight of the team's new additions are natives of Texas, while the Storm will welcome one each from Oklahoma and California.
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The class id also split between true freshmen and junior college transfers, with six making the jump straight from high school while four started their careers at the JuCo level.
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Madison Martinez, Crislynn Autry, Cameryn McDonough, and Jocelyn Grewing will each be transferring in to continue their college careers.
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Ruthie Forson, Mya Afflerbach, Jessie Steele, Sky Lewis, Seerdyn James, and Averi Reeves will each begin their collegiate careers as freshmen at SE.
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Autry, a libero/defensive specialist from Sherman, Texas, spent her first two seasons at North Central Texas College where she helped her team to a 2019 conference championship en route to earning third team All-Academic honors with the NJCAA. She was home schooled in high school where she played for a homeschool team, helping them to NCHVC National Championships in 2015 and 2017.
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"I chose to play at SE," said Autry, "Because it was the best fit for me athletically and academically. I'm so excited to start my journey there and I feel at home with the SE volleyball family."
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Grewing, an outside hitter from Lindsay, Texas, comes to Southeastern after a stint at North Central Texas as well where she was a first team all-conference pick in both of her seasons. While at Lindsay HS she was named the District MVP and Offensive MVP and was an honor roll student.
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"I'm ready to take on my new Journey," stated Grewing, "At a school that seems like the perfect fit for me."
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Martinez, an outside hitter/right side from Santa Clarita, Calif., transitions to Southeastern after two seasons at College of the Canyons. While there she was a two-time All-WSC selection. She started her playing career at Canyon HS in Santa Clarita.
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"I chose SE volleyball," said Martinez, "Because they're one big family who cares so much about each other on and off the court and it instantly felt like home."
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McDonough, an outside hitter/right side from Tulsa, Okla., is the third member of the North Central Texas squad to continue their playing career at SE next season. She is a Phi Theta Kappa member who played high school at Edison HS in Tulsa, Okla.
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"I am excited to be a part of a team." Said McDonough, "With a coach that has the same goals and work ethic as I do to build a winning program."
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Afflerbach, an outside hitter from Sanger, Texas, comes to Southeastern after a high school career in which she helped her team to its first regional finals appearance in more than a decade. Meanwhile, off the court she served as the President of the National Science Honors Society.
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"Southeastern has that feeling of home," said Afflerbach. "And I could actually visualize myself studying and playing here rather than the other colleges."
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Forson, a setter/right side from Denton, Texas, comes to SE after a standout career with Lake Dallas HS where she was the Texas Christian Athlete of the Year, a two-time District Setter of the Year and a first team all-area selection. She was also a four-time academic all-district honoree.
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"I chose SE and SE volleyball," said Forson, "Because it is a place where I get to study what I enjoy the most while playing the sport I love the most. Southeastern is close to home and felt like a perfect fit for me."
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James, an outside hitter/right side from Houston, Texas, who was a two-time All-District selection at Cypress Ranch HS and was also awarded the Team Player Award with her team.
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"I chose SE," said James, "Because it felt like home away from home. SE volleyball made me feel welcomed, and I was confident that I could grow at SE not only as an athlete, but as an individual as well."
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Lewis, a libero/defensive specialist from Midlothian, Texas, earned team MVP honors at Midlothian HS where she also earned recognition for her leadership, while off the court she was named an Academic All-District honoree.
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Reeves, an outside hitter/defensive specialist from Bonham, Texas, was named the District Offensive MVP in addition to a set of all-district honors as well as a Newcomer of the Year award while at Bonham HS. In the classroom she was a four-time academic All-District honoree as well as earning Texas Scholars and Academic Excellence.
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"I chose this," said Reeves, "Because I believe it is going to make me feel right at home. It's not too far from my hometown, so I believe it is a good fit. I chose SE volleyball because it is a growing program and I can't wait to be a part of the family they have built there."
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Steele, an outside hitter/middle from Brock, Texas, was a TGCA All-State selection in 2019 at Brock HS, earning District Co-MVP and was the District Outside Hitter of the Year as a junior while also earning Parker County Outside Hitter of the Year recognition. She is also a TGCA Academic All-State and Academic All-District pick.
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"I choose SE and SE volleyball," said Steele, "Because I loved Coach Solum and the girls. I loved how easy they were to approach and talk to, and they made me feel at home as well as the campus when I went on my tour"
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