Box Score LAKELAND, Fla.- You'd expect nothing less from a matchup against the #4 and #5 seeds, who split their regular season meetings.
A back-and-forth affair went to five sets with Webber International pulling out a 15-10 win in the tie breaker over Southeastern to advance to The Sun Conference semifinals.
Leading the match 2-1, the Fire (17-13) led the fourth set 22-19 after an attacking error by the Warriors (16-15). Webber International rallied back to tie it at 22, taking advantage of a pair of SEU errors. The set was tied at 23, when the Warriors came up with a kill and a block to force the fifth set.
Southeastern jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the tiebreaker, but the Warriors took advantage of five Fire attack errors, committing just one of their own, recording nine kills and a .471 attacking percentage in the set to take the win.
A 7-0 in the first set helped the Fire come away with a 25-20 win. The teams reversed roles in the second set, as the Warriors won 25-20, to tie the match at 1-1. In the second, the Fire had a 5-1 advantage, but Webber answered with five straight to take a 6-5 lead. Southeastern tried to make a run, getting as close as 23-20, but a kill and an SEU attacking error gave the Warriors the win.
Sophomore Lydia Rooth recorded a double-double of 15 kills and 16 digs with a .213 attacking percentage. Senior Carol Reis recorded a game-high 18 kills with a .325 attacking percentage, and assisted on four blocks. Sophomore Alyssa Prescott had 28 assists for the Fire, and sophomore Lindsey Fleming added 27. Senior Madeline Hanshaw had a team-high 18 digs.
"We have a lot of youth, and a lot to build on," said Coach Audrey Gilbert. "This loss hurts, but at the same time, we see it as a building block for the future."
