Forson Reaches 3000 Assists In 3-2 Win over ATU

DURANT, Okla. – Ruthie Forson reaches 3,000 career assists for Southeastern Oklahoma State, helping the Savage Storm to a 3-2 win over Arkansas Tech with the first quadruple-double ever recorded in the GAC and by an SE player.
 
"This is what we have been working towards since the spring. This fight and this emotional play. I am beyond proud of this group and what we are achieving," said head coach Nicole Solum-Mitchell. "19 blocks is insane, and our dedication to getting better in that stat category is a testament to our determination. Forson leading with a quadruple-double just shows what a competitor she is. We are ready to take on the next week," said coach Solum-Mitchell.
 
Forson saw the program and league's first quadruple-double with 44 assists, 13 kills, 14 digs, and 10.0 total blocks. D'Nari Mills was one of three players with double-digit kills, leading the team with 19, while Faith Kruebbe tallied 10.
 
The Storm defense showed out at the net, out-blocking Arkansas Tech 19.0 to 7.0, with Michera Moffett seeing a team-high 12.0 total blocks and Maci Morrison adding another 7.0. Patience Lewis led the side with 27 digs, and Andrea Urzua had ten over the five sets.  
 
SET ONE
Southeastern and Arkansas Tech were back-and-forth to start the match with the score locked at 5-5 and later 10-all. SE soon took the lead 15-13 after three straight kills by Mills, but the Golden Suns were quick to respond, building a 6-1 run to go in front 19-16. Arkansas Tech would keep a two to three-point margin over the Storm all the way to set point, winning the opening frame 25-20.
 
SET TWO
A slow start by Southeastern saw Arkansas Tech take a 10-3 edge at the first break after a timeout by the blue-and-gold. Tech extended its lead out of the break to 15-5, but the Storm would begin to find their footing in the set after three straight points by Morrison to cut the gap to 15-9.
 
SE continued to battle, trimming the Golden Sun's lead to five after back-to-back kills by Mills and Forson, and was soon within striking distance after a block by Noelia Rocha to make it 22-20. Following an ATU timeout, the visitors reached set point at 24-22, but the Storm kept the rally up, scoring three consecutive points to take the lead 25-24. Tech tied it up at 25-all before back-to-back points by Moffett pushed SE ahead to a 27-25 set win.
 
SET THREE
The Storm and Golden Suns went point-for-point through the early parts of the set, with the score locked at 8-all. Southeastern broke the deadlock on a 3-0 spurt featuring kills from Rocha, Mills and Kruebbe to give the Storm a 12-9 edge. Arkansas Tech flipped the lead again moments later on a 5-1 burst.
 
Southeastern replied with a flurry of points for the fifth lead change of the set, going ahead 18-16. Once again, the lead switched again after a 4-0 run by Tech to retake the lead 23-20. Despite late pressure from Southeastern, who would cut the lead to one, Arkansas Tech held on to win the frame 25-22.
 
SET FOUR
The Golden Suns led 5-3 following a 4-0 burst and would stay in front 9-7. From there, Southeastern began to take control of the set, stringing together an 8-0 run to take the lead 16-10. Back-to-back kills by Mills and Kruebbe added to the Storms advantage before a 3-0 stretch, capped off by a block from Moffett and Forson, extended SE's advantage to 23-16. A service error by the visitors would secure a 25-19 frame win for the Southeastern and force a fifth set. 
 
SET FIVE
Arkansas Tech held the lead at the halfway point in the frame at 8-5, but the Storm stayed on the heels of the visitors at 9-8 after two kills by Mills. Southeastern tied the set just minutes later on back-to-back points, 10-all, and would take the lead 12-11 after a kill by Moffett.
 
The Golden Suns tied things up again, and the two sides would go point-for-point with the score locked at 16-all. ATU found match point at 17-16, but the Storm had other ideas, closing out the contest on a 3-0 run, capped off by back-to-back kills from Forson to win the set 19-17.

Southeastern (8-9, 4-3) heads to Arkadelphia for its next round of GAC matches at Ouachita Baptist and Henderson State on Oct. 17 and 18.