DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern Oklahoma State heads to Arkadelphia to take on Ouachita Baptist and Henderson State in back-to-back matches on Oct. 17-18. SE will face the Tigers first on Thursday, Oct. 17, at 6 p.m. before heading across the street on Friday at 4 p.m. to play the Reddies.
STORM WATCH
Closing in on the halfway point of GAC play, Southeastern (8-9, 4-3) is tied for third in the standings with Oklahoma Baptist. The Savage Storm won all three of their matches last week, including back-to-back wins over Harding and Arkansas Tech at home. SE swept the Lady Bisons before going five sets with the Golden Suns and coming out on top 3-2.
Ruthie Forson was one of many standout players over the week, as the fifth-year setter picked up GAC Setter of the Week and AVCA Division II National Player of the Week honors. The Denton, Texas native averaged 9.75 assists per set over the week and ranks sixth across the GAC with 8.50 assists per frame this season. Along with her setting duties, Forson has also mixed in attacks, having seen double-figure kills in six of her last seven matches.
At the end of Forson's sets,
D'Nari Mills slammed down 50 kills over 12 sets last week, averaging 4.17 per set. The Cypress, Texas native is tied for the most kills in the GAC with 264 and ranks second in kills per set with 3.88. After seeing double-doubles against Austin College and Harding, the junior outside hitter now has 12 on the year, including five in her last six matches.
Michera Moffett stuffed out opposing attacks all week, totaling 16.0 blocks and averaging 1.33 per set across the three matches. The senior middle blocker saw a career-high 12.0 total blocks in the win over ATU, bringing her to a team-high 53.0 denials, with 11 solo blocks and 42 block assists.
Since joining the GAC, Southeastern is 4-9 against Ouachita Baptist, though the Storm has won two of the last three meetings, including a 3-1 victory last season at home. Mills paced the attack that evening with 19 kills and added two blocks and nine digs to her totals, while Forson dished out 44 assists. SE will be looking for its first win in the Sturgis Physical Education Center since 2012 on Thursday night.
Heading into the 23
rd meeting with Henderson State, the Storm trails HSU 14-8 in the all-time series. The two sides have split the last two matches, as SE defeated the Reddies on the road 3-2 in 2022 before Henderson got the better of the blue-and-gold 3-1 last season. Southeastern has played better on the road in this series, with a 4-4 record at the Duke Wells Center compared to a 2-5 mark at home.
PREVIEWING OUACHITA BAPTIST
The Tigers enter the match against Southeastern 12-7 overall and 3-4 in the GAC following a 3-2 win over Southern Nazarene. Ouachita Baptist has won three of its last four contests, including two home victories, where the Tigers have been at their best with a 6-2 record.
Ouachita boasts the best attack percentage in the league, hitting at a .252 clip as a unit. The Tigers have three players ranked inside the Top 10, led by Leah Gardner and Haley Fairchild, who rank first and second, respectively. Gardner holds a .364 attack average with 169 kills, while Fairchild has totaled 126 kills on a .339 clip.
PREVIEWING HENDERSON STATE
The Reddies will be looking to get back on track, as they have lost their last two matches and sit 2-5 in the GAC and 10-9 overall. HSU lost both its matches in the Sooner State last week after falling to Southern Nazarene 3-2 and Oklahoma Baptist 3-1. Before meeting the Storm in the Duke Wells Center, Henderson will first face East Central on Thursday, Oct. 17.
Katilyn Steffes leads the Henderson attack with 3.17 kills per set, which ranks ninth-best in the GAC, and has seen double-figure kills in her last four matches, including a pair of 20-kill contests. As a unit, the Reddies are ninth in kills across the league with 11.81 and are 11
th in attack percentage, hitting .162.
