Southeastern Set to Host Northwestern Oklahoma State Tuesday

DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern and Northwestern Oklahoma State get set for a Tuesday battle in the Bloomer Sullivan Gym at 6 p.m. for the second round of GAC action.
 
SERIES NOTES

• Last year, the Storm and Rangers split the regular season series, with each side winning their respective home match. The blue and gold won the second meeting in 2024, 3-0, with current member Alexis Williams slamming down ten kills.
• Northwestern Oklahoma State holds a slim edge in the all-time series with a one-match advantage, 14-13. In meetings at Bloomer Sullivan Gym, Southeastern is 8-5 all-time and 2-3 in the last five matchups.

 
STORM REPORT
The Savage Storm recently traveled to the Volunteer State for a pair of non-conference matches against Bethel (Tenn.) and Lane College. SE got the weekend going with a 3-0 sweep of Bethel and followed with a second sweep against Lane College to improve to 5-6 overall. Southeastern's two wins move them to 5-5 in out-of-conference play this season.
 
Gabby Jones and Noelia Rocha paced the SE attack at the weekend, as Jones tallied 18 kills and Rocha recorded 17. Rocha saw her third double-digit kill match of the year versus Lane, matching her season-high totals set against William Jewell and Lake Erie. Additionally, Jaedyn Newman chipped in 12 kills over the weekend, including a season-high of seven against Bethel, and now has 24 on the year. Both Jones and Rocha remain the top two attackers for Southeastern, with 116 and 87 kills, respectively.

Southeastern racked up 83 kills across the two wins against Bethel and Lane as a team, bringing them to 443 on the year. The Storm are averaging 12.66 kills per set, which is good for fourth in the GAC, and are fifth in points per set with 16.03. The blue and gold's attacking success starts with their attacking efficiency, as Southeastern carries the third-best attack average in the league at a .211 clip.
 
Laura Weatherford made it five matches in a row with double-figure digs, combining for 29 in the wins over Bethel and Lane. The Spring, Texas native had a season-high 18 digs in the 3-0 victory at Lane and added 11 more versus Bethel. Weatherford ranks sixth across the GAC in digs with 4.14 per set and has tallied the eighth most with 145 total digs. As a team, the Storm is fourth in the conference in digs, averaging 16.17 per set after seeing 105 across their two most recent outings.
  
SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE
Similar to the Savage Storm, Northwestern Oklahoma State (2-10, 0-1 GAC) will be looking for its first GAC win this season on Tuesday evening. The Rangers suffered a 3-2 loss to East Central in their league opener after falling 15-12 in the deciding set. Most recently, Northwestern took part in an MIAA/GAC Crossover and went 1-2, with a 3-2 win against Newman on the final day.
 
The Rangers' attack is led by Ece Ozdemir and Tess De Zanet with 113 and 105 kills, respectively, after combining for 43 over the weekend. Ozedemir led the duo with 22 kills at the MIAA/GAC Crossover, including a high of 14 against Newman. Mikayla White pulls the strings for the NWOSU attack with 299 assists, and she ranks fifth in the GAC with 6.88 per set. Defensively, the Rangers are led by Jadyn Padilla, who is averaging 3.13 digs per set for a team-high 141 total digs.