SE Meets Rivals ECU in Home Opener Tuesday

DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern gets set for its first home match of the 2026 season, hosting rivals East Central on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 6 p.m. in Bloomer Sullivan Gym.
 
SERIES NOTES

• The Savage Storm snapped a ten-match losing streak to ECU in the second meeting last year, defeating the Tigers 3-0 in Bloomer Sullivan Gym. The win marked the first victory for the blue and gold since 2020 and the first home win since 2018.
• East Central holds a slight edge in the all-time series with a 20-18 record.

 
STORM REPORT
Southeastern wrapped up the MIAA/GAC Crossover with a 1-2 record, splitting the final day with a sweep against Northeastern State for the second time this season. After the conference crossover, the Storm hold a 5-7 overall record and a 0-1 GAC mark after falling to Oklahoma Baptist in the first conference action of the season.  
 
Freshman Layla Wilson continues to impact the blue and gold attack, as the Plano, Texas native paced the team with 28 kills at the GAC/MIAA Crossover. Wilson ranks third on the team with 89 kills and is averaging 2.87 per set, which ranks tenth-best in the conference. Gabby Jones joins Wilson in the top 10 in kills across the league, as she ranks seventh with 3.00 per set for a team-high 132 total kills.
 
Nykeriah Allen racked up 14.0 total blocks at the conference challenge, including a season-high 6.0 denials in the final match against Fort Hays State. Allen leads Southeastern with 39.0 total blocks, including12 solo denials and 27 block assists. The Lewisville, Texas native ranks ninth in the GAC with 0.85 blocks per set and is second in solo blocks.
 
The Storm have three players with 100 digs this season, led by Patience Lewis with 191 and averaging 4.15 per set. Joining Lewis, Jones is second on the team with 113 digs, while Merrick Hammel has chipped in 101. In addition to her defensive efforts, Hammel also paces the side at the service line with 14 aces after picking up three against Fort Hays State most recently.
 
SCOUTING EAST CENTRAL
Like the Storm, the Tigers will be looking for their first GAC win of the season on Tuesday. ECU enters the Tuesday contest with a 4-8 overall record and 0-1 GAC mark, following a 3-1 loss to Northwestern Oklahoma State in the conference opener. East Central will be eyeing a return to the win column with five defeats in its last five matches.

The Tiger attack is led by Addison Iman with 118 kills and is averaging 2.74 per set. Iman has reached double-digit kills in five matches this season, including three 20-kill contests with a high of 22 against NWOSU. ECU also features one of the top blockers in the conference in Lana Wright, who is fifth in the GAC with 0.93 blocks per set and 43.0 total denials. As a team, ECU is fourth in the GAC in team blocks, averaging 1.91 per set, and has reached double-digit blocks in nine matches.