Storm Split Saturday Matches in Patriot Classic

TYLER, Texas – Southeastern closed out its trip to the 2021 Dakota's Patriot Classic with a 3-1 victory over West Alabama, bouncing back from a 3-1 loss to Ferris State to open Saturday action in Tyler, Texas.
 
The Saturday split moves the Savage Storm to 2-4 to open the 2021 season which will continue on Sept. 14 when SE steps into Great American Conference play with a road trip to Alva, Okla., to take on Northwestern Oklahoma State.
 
In the finale, Skylor Lewis led a trio of players to reach double-digit kills, posting 15 herself while Ruthie Forson added 14 and Caroline Griffith chipped in 10.
 
Forson completed her first triple-double of the year after dishing out 41 assists to go with her 14 kills on offense and a team-best 19 digs on defense.
 
Grace Shehadeh was next in line on defense with 16 digs, while Lewis added 11, Micah Stiggers posted 11, and McKenzie Turkoly turned in 10.
 
Griffith led the net defense with three blocks, two of them solo.
 
Lewis and Forson each posted four kills in the opening set as the Storm used a pair of big runs top open up a 10-point lead and pull away with the 25-13 win and a 1-0 lead.
 
That lead stretched to 2-0 after SE scored the final six points in the second set as Forson's five kills pushed the Storm to a 25-14 win.
 
UWA would bounce back in the third set despite Lewis posting four kills and SE outkilling them for the set by a 15-to-12 margin, with West Alabama taking the set 25-19.
 
Southeastern turned the tables in the fourth set with Lewis, Forson, and Steele each posting three kills to help the Storm mount an early lead and hanging on for a 25-19 win in the clinching set.
 
SE came out firing against Ferris State who entered the weekend receiving votes in the national poll, taking the first set 26-24.
 
The momentum did not carry over to set two however as the Storm fell 25-9, but bounced back in a tight third set before falling 25-22 to trail 2-1.
 
The Bulldogs would clinch the match with a 25-20 win in the fourth set to make the final 3-1.
 
Lewis led all attackers in the contest with 18 kills, while Jessie Steele cracked double figures with 10.
 
Forson finished the match with 30 assists while also adding seven kills on offense, and leading the defense with 21 digs.
 
Forson's 21 digs led the back row numbers, while Stiggers was next in line with 20, followed by Shehadeh's 19 and Lewis' 18. Turkoly would also add a double-digit dig outing with 11.
 
SE would lead by as many as five points in the opening set and would weather a FSU rally that saw the match tie up at 24-24 before a service error and a Jadyn James kill would give SE the 26-24 win.
 
The Storm offense never found traction in the second set as Steele was the only player to record multiple kills in the 25-9 loss.
 
Forson would lead the charge in the third set, posting five kills from her setter position, while Lewis collected four, but SE was unable to close out a late rally in a 25-22 loss to trail 2-1.
 
FSU would break an 18-18 tie in the fourth set and score seven of the final nine points to take the set 25-20 despite a nine-kill effort from Lewis in the final frame.