SE Volleyball Set for GAC Tournament

DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern volleyball will set course for Hot Springs, Ark., for the Great American Conference Tournament Nov. 18-20, opening play against Southwestern Oklahoma State at 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 18 at Bank OZK Arena.
 
The Savage Storm enter the tournament as the No. 7 seed after posting a 5-11 record in GAC play and an 8-18 mark overall, while the Bulldogs enter the weekend as the two-seed with a 19-7 record overall and a 13-3 mark in conference play.
 
The winner of Thursday afternoon's contest will advance to face the winner between No. 3 Seed Arkansas Tech and No. 6 Seed Henderson State at 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 19, with the winner of that matchup advancing to the final on Nov. 20 at 2 p.m.
 
SE is making its second-straight trip to the tournament and heads into the postseason paced by Caroline Griffith who is averaging 2.45 kills per set over the last five matches while Jocelyn Grewing is posting 2.16 per set.
 
Ruthie Forson has dished out 9.35 assists per set over the last two weeks, including a turning in a triple double, and has added 1.80 kills per set while picking up 2.45 digs per set.
 
The defensive effort is led by Grace Shehadeh who has averaged 4.50 digs per set over the last five matches and 5.10 per set over the course of the entire season. McKenzie Turkoly has chipped in 3.55 digs per set over the last five outings, with Crislynn Autry chipping in 2.95.
 
At the net, Mya Afflerbach has posted 13 total blocks over the last five matches, bringing her total to a team-best 37 on the season while Griffith is right behind her with 33 overall on the year.
 
SWOSU comes into the tournament led by Markenzie Benoit with 2.72 kills per set, pacing a group of five who average more than two per set.
 
Allie Hoang leads the Bulldogs in assists with 9.75 per set, but missed the final match of the season where Terez Chavez dished out 52 assists in a five-set win over Northwestern Oklahoma State.
 
Sophia DeSantiago leads the SWOSU defense with 4.08 digs per set, while Benoit patrols the net to the tune of 103 total blocks on the season.