Volleyball Makes Final Road Trip to the Natural State Thursday and Friday

DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern makes the road trip to the Natural State for the final time this season on October 23 and 24 to take on Arkansas Tech and Harding.
 
The Savage Storm heads to the Tucker Coliseum first on Thursday at 6 p.m. to face the Golden Suns before traveling to Searcy on Friday to clash with the Lady Bisons at 4 p.m.
 
SERIES NOTES

• SE and ATU meet for the 20^th time on Thursday, with the Golden Suns leading the series 16-4, dating back to 1999. Southeastern has won two straight over Arkansas Tech, with a 3-2 win on the road in 2023 and, most recently, a 3-2 win at home during 2024.  
• One of the Storm's biggest wins last season came against Harding in a 3-0 win at home. The blue and gold have won two of the previous three meetings, including a 3-1 victory in Searcy during 2023, while the Lady Bisons lead the series 23-4.

 
STORM REPORT
Southeastern wrapped up its non-conference slate on Tuesday, when UT Dallas visited the Bloomer Sullivan Gym. The two sides were locked at 1-1 through two sets before the Comets were able to secure the next two frames for a 3-1 win. The defeat dropped the Storm to 7-14 overall, and they still sit 2-7 in the GAC standings.
 
Alaina Armstrong had a career night versus UTD, recording a team-high 14 kills and 18 digs for the match. Armstrong, in her last two contests, has racked up 22 kills and 35 digs over seven sets and has two service aces. This season, the senior from Richardson, Texas, is averaging 1.95 kills per set for 43 total kills and is seeing 2.23 digs per set.
 
Maci Morrison joined Armstrong in double-figure kills on Tuesday, with 10 on a .308 attack average for her fourth double-digit kill match this season. Morrison has been one of the most efficient attackers in the GAC this season, as she ranks fifth in hitting percentage, attacking at a .317 clip with 2.01 kills per set. Southeastern enters the back half of conference action with a .187 attack average as a team and is averaging 12.3 kills per set, which ranks fifth and sixth among the league, respectively.
 
Providing the defense at the net, Alexis Williams has 11.0 blocks in her last three matches, including 6.0 against UTD. The Lawton, Okla. native leads SE with 60.0 total blocks and is averaging 0.87 blocks per set, which ranks ninth-best in the conference. Williams has also provided an attacking spark with 136 kills this season and is attacking at a .284 clip.

SCOUTING ARKANSAS TECH
Arkansas Tech (11-8, 7-2 GAC) rides a four-match win streak into Thursday, having seen four consecutive conference wins to put them in a three-way tie for second in the standings. The Golden Suns were near flawless during their most recent road trip to the Sooner State, picking up a 3-1 win at Southwestern Oklahoma State and a 3-0 win at Northwestern Oklahoma State.
 
ATU has four players with 100 kills this year, led by Savannah Meyer and Erika Hernandez. Meyer leads the Golden Suns with 204 kills and is averaging 3.14 per set, while Hernandez ranks third with 164 kills and is attacking at a GAC-best .401 mark. In addition, Hernandez leads the side with 46.0 total blocks, including 15 solo denials.

SCOUTING HARDING
The Lady Bisons recently had a six-match win streak snapped after falling to Southwestern Oklahoma State 3-0 on the road. Like ATU, Harding is one of three teams at 7-2 in the league standings and holds a 16-4 overall record. This season, HU has been perfect at home with an 8-0 record in the Rhodes-Reaves Field House.
 
Harding's top two attackers have produced 200 kills this season, led by Ella Drake with 235. Drake is averaging 3.05 kills per set and leads the side with 40 service aces, which is good for 0.52 aces per frame. Jacey Lambert backs up Drake in the attacking department with 211 kills and holds the fourth-highest attack average in the GAC at .333. Helping set the tone for the Lady Bisons is setter Olivia Wiedower, who ranks second in the league with 9.14 assists per set.