SE Stumble in Home Opener vs. SWOSU

DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern opened the match hot, winning the first set over Southwestern Oklahoma State but were unable to regain that momentum in a 3-1 loss on Tuesday night in the home opener in Bloomer Sullivan Gymnasium.
 
The loss drops the Savage Storm to 1-11 overall on the year and 0-2 to open Great American Conference play with a 7 p.m. matchup versus Oklahoma Baptist on the horizon Thursday, Sept. 15.
 
D'Nari Mills led the SE offense with 14 kills on the contest, while Jadyn James added 10. Michera Moffett just missed double-figures with nine while Ruthie Forson chipped in seven.
 
McKenzie Turkoly led the setting duo with 22 assists on the night, while Forson posted 16 assists to go with her seven kills.
 
Peyton Kriegel led the defense along the back row with 20 digs, while Mills cracked double-digits with 14.
 
Mills also added three total blocks, while Moffett added two.
 
The teams traded points early in set one, with SE pushing out to a four-point lead before SWOSU rallied to tie the match.  It would feature four ties from that point on, including a 21-21 knotting. The Storm would finish strong from that point, taking four of the final five points, two of them on kills and one on a Forson solo block, to take the set 25-22.
 
In set two, the Bulldogs scored the first five points and never trailed, leading by as many as eight before a late Storm run would see Southeastern take eight of the final 12 points, but it was not enough o run down SWOSU who took the set 25-21 to even the match at 1-1.
 
The third set on the other hand featured 10 ties and a pair of lead changes, with SE missing out on a set-point opportunity at 24-21 and seeing SWOSU rally to take the set 28-26 for a 2-1 lead.
 
The Bulldogs would again pull ahead big in the fourth set, this time taking a 21-10 lead before the Storm again mounted a rally, this time scoring eight of the final 12 points to close the gap to 25-21, but would ultimately drop the set and the match.