LAKELAND, Fla. - After postponing two matches last week, the Fire women's volleyball team is thrilled to be back on the court. The Fire are preparing for a week with a total of two matches where they will play the first place and the last place teams in the Sun Conference.
Game 17: Southeastern University (9-8, The Sun Conference 2-5) vs. Webber International University (16-1, The Sun Conference 6-0)
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Game 18: Southeastern University (9-8, The Sun Conference 2-5) at. Johnson & Wales (1-17, The Sun Conference 0-7)
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Southeastern's Key Players: The Fire are led by head coach Audrey Goldsberry in her third season. After a home loss against cross county rival, Warner, the Fire will look to their key players to help them get in the win column.
The Fire possess a daunting attack led by Lydia Rooth. In her senior season, Rooth has landed 182 kills and is just 25 kills away from her 1,000th career kill. Along with her kills comes Rooth's 19 services aces on the year. Rooth also contributes on the defensive side of the ball, logging 176 digs.
Second on the team in kills is junior outside hitter Kelsey Morton. Morton comes into the week with a .253 hitting percentage and has landed 152 kills. She is also a force at the net logging 45 blocks, 36 of which are solo.
The defensive front, led by Uche Kojo, is quite daunting as well. The Sun Conference's leading blocker, Kojo, has logged 71 blocks at the net and, while she is known for her blocking, Kojo has also tallied 121 kills.
Assisting Kojo at the net is Kaitlin Boyd. The transfer from St. Petersburg College has denied 48 chances at the net, while finishing 129 kills.
The Warriors: The No. 1 team in The Sun Conference is firing on all cylinders. Receiving votes in the last NAIA coaches poll, the Warriors have only suffered one loss coming at the hands of Life University. Since the loss, the Warriors are currently on an 11-game winning streak, and have only dropped one set during their run.
Webber's attack is led by two women, Tessa Colden and Nikki McDaniel. In her freshman season, Colden has recorded 226 kills along with 18 service aces. The 5'11 senior from Deland, McDaniel, has successfully landed 224 kills while dropping in 26 services aces.
Webber's libero, Michelle Calderon, is ranked 7th in all of the NAIA in service aces per game. Calderon has landed 46 aces and is a defensive juggernaut with 321 digs.
Setting up the unrelenting Warrior attack is Carlee Baxter. Ranking sixth in all of the NAIA in assists per game, Baxter has tallied up 602 assists in her freshman year.
The Warriors are made up of powerhouse players that can take over a game at any moment in time.
The Wildcats: Entering the contest on a four-game losing streak, the Wildcats, led by coach James Exley, are aiming to turn their fortune around. In the season so far, the Wildcats have only won three sets which came in a win over Trinity Baptist.
Sharell Nairn is the driving force for this Wildcats team. She leads the team in three categories, aces, kills, and blocks. The freshman from Miami has tallied up five aces, 59 kills, and 20 blocks.
Setting up the Wildcat attack is Erin Livingston. The setter from Gainesville has posted 87 assists this season.
Jaime Mcspedon is doing her best to keep points alive for her team. In the inaugural season she has racked up 91 digs on the year.
The Wildcats enter their contest against the Fire aiming to gain some sort of traction and notch their second win of the season.
Closing Notes: This will be the first match of the season between the Fire and the Warriors. In last year's contest, the Fire came out on top by a score of 3-1. However, this is a new and improved Warriors team with additional talent. The Fire will look to Kojo and Boyd to thwart the dangerous attack of the Warriors at the net. If the Fire obtain a win in this match, it would be a huge momentum booster for the rest of the season.
The match on Saturday against the Wildcats will mark the first time these two teams have squared off. This contest is an opportunity for the Fire to gain another conference win and move up the Sun Conference standings.
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