Late Rally Not Enough in Searcy for the Storm

SEARCY, Ark. – Southeastern finishes day two of its Arkansas road trip with a 3-1 defeat to Harding inside the Rhodes-Reaves Field House.
 
Faith Kruebbe had a career day at the service line on Friday afternoon, recording five aces. Kruebbe would also finish with 11 digs and 2.0 total blocks. 

Jaedyn Newman paced the Savage Storm attack with ten kills on a .222 attack average, while Maci Morrison added eight kills and was one of three players with two blocks. Jasmin Dion passed out 27 assists, and Merrick Hammel tallied a season-high 32 digs.
 
Southeastern (7-16, 2-9 GAC) remains on the road at Oklahoma Baptist on Thursday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m.
 
SET ONE
Southeastern trailed the Lady Bisons early in set one, as the hosts took an 8-3 lead. SE soon got its rhythm going with a kill from Dion, and three-straight errors by Harding moments later helped the blue and gold cut the gap to two, 9-7. HU held a three-to-four-point edge over the next rallies, and its advantage would grow to 19-12 moments later. Southeastern would be unable to close the gap on the Lady Bisons, with Harding winning the first set 25-17.
 
SET TWO
The two sides were tied at 7-7 after the set opened with the two teams going point for point. HU broke the deadlock, but a 5-1 run from the Storm that was capped off by a block by Morrison and Noelia Rocha pushed SE ahead 12-11. Harding would flip the lead back in its favor with a pair of kills to lead again, 20-16. SE replied with a 3-0 burst to cut the gap to one, but a late run of scores for the Lady Bisons proved the difference maker, as they won the set 25-20.
 
SET THREE
Southeastern found early momentum in the third and used it to jump to an 11-2 lead after three service aces from Kruebbe. Harding answered with a run of scores to chip into the Storm's edge, but the blue and gold picked up the pace again with a 6-0 run to stretch the lead to 20-10. During the 6-0 burst, SE continued to find success at the service line, as Dion tallied two more aces.
 
Moments later, Kylee Turner notched the sixth ace of the set for Southeastern to help extend the gap to 11, before Newman slammed down the final kill for a 25-15 set win for the Storm.
 
SET FOUR
Harding used a strong start to carry an 8-3 lead, which soon grew to 16-6 after a 6-0 run. Following a slow start, SE strung together scores to cut into the deficit, though the hosts put their foot on the gas again, extending the gap to 23-12. Despite a late run of scores by the blue and gold, Harding held on for a 25-17 set victory.