Box Score LAKELAND, FLA.-- It didn't take long for freshman
Victoria Trueheart to make a first impression. With her family and friends showing up in droves, Trueheart led the Fire to a 25-12, 25-18, and 27-25 sweep of the Pensacola Christian College Eagles. Her impressive debut featured 14 kills, four aces, and a block.
The Fire (1-0) set the tone early, as they started out their young season on a 16-5 run. The attackers for SEU stayed hot, as the team boasted a .429 attacking percentage in the first set. A .038 attacking percentage for the Eagles (0-1) in the first set made it a lopsided contest.
"It was definitely encouraging just knowing that we had so much youth on the court to come out strong," said coach
Audrey Gilbert. "We knew what Victoria was capable of when we recruited her.
"The college game is a different speed but I trust that our girls step up to the level we expect here and Victoria did that today."
Ten of
Lindsey Fleming's 26 assists came in the second set, as the Fire jumped out to a 14-9 lead. PCC brought the contest to within three at one point, but the Fire held on to their lead to take it, 25-18.
"Lindsey stepped up as a more experienced player and our players trust her to run our system," said Gilbert.
The Eagles made it interesting in the third set, as 17 ties were featured.
Kelsey Morton had five kills for the game, and four of them came at just the right time in the final set. PCC had SEU on the ropes, as they scrapped their way to 25-24 lead with a chance to claw their way back into the game. A kill by
Grace Wentworth and two attacking errors by the Eagles sealed their fate for the evening.
For the Fire, Trueheart led the scoring with 14 kills.
Kelsey Morton registered five kills, and
Ashley Lanoue finished with two kills and three blocks.
Lindsey Fleming finished with 26 assists, two kills, and two aces.
The Fire are back in action Saturday morning, as they'll take on the Columbia College Koalas. Gametime is set for 11am in the Furnace.
