Storm Attack Powers SE to 3-1 Win over SNU

DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern bounced back from an opening set loss to take control of the match beginning in set two as it picked up its first Great American Conference win of the season with a 3-1 victory over Southern Nazarene on Tuesday night in Bloomer Sullivan Gymnasium.
 
The win lifts the Savage Storm to 5-7 overall on the season and 1-1 in league play heading into a Sept. 21 road matchup against Southwestern Oklahoma State at 6 p.m. in Weatherford, Okla.
 
"This was a good win," said head coach Nicole Solum-Mitchell. "We are finding a rhythm and gaining confidence as we continue to build. I am continued to be impressed with Ruth and her performance and running the offense. We worked primarily on getting our middles engaged this week and Sandra had an impressive performance with four blocks and nine kills."
 
Southeastern was humming offensively as the team combined to hit .353, with a trio of players posting double-digit kill outings.
 
D'Nari Mills led that group as she posted 22 kills on the night, stretching her 20-plus kill streak to six consecutive matches.
 
Ruthie Forson was next in line with 12, while Noelia Rocha finished with 11 and Sandra Acheampong finished just short of double-figures with nine.
 
Forson completed the double-double with a game-high 41 assists to go with her kill total, and nearly pulled off another triple double, finishing with eight digs.
 
Amaya Constantino led the defense on the back row with 21 digs which paced all defenders, while Mills added 20 and Patience Lewis chipped in 10.
 
At the net, Acheampong and Rocha each posted four blocks.
 
SE dropped the first three points in set one and was never able to rally as SNU would open up a 1-0 lead with a 25-21 win in the set.
 
Mills exploded in the second set to the tune of eight kills, with the team posting 20 kills across from three errors on its way to a 25-18 win which evened the match at 1-1.
 
In the third set, Mills would add seven more kills and SE would hit .500 as a team, using a pair of 6-0 runs to take control and cruise to a 25-10 win and a 2-1 lead.
 
SE would take an early lead in the fourth set, but the Crimson Storm would close the gap, but the offense for Southeastern would come from multiple angles as Rocha, Mills, and Acheampong each had three or more kills and the Savage Storm would take the clinching set 25-19 to secure the 3-1 win.