LAKELAND, Fla.-- Southeastern faces an important stretch of conference matches over the next week, playing the team directly ahead of and behind them in the standings.
In their last two conference games, both of which were on the road, the Fire swept the competition. Against Florida Memorial,
Kelsey Morton led the Fire with 14 kills and a .333 hitting percentage, while
Lydia Rooth added 11 kills. In the game against Johnson and Wales, Rooth had 12 kills (the last of which was her 1,000
th career kill), Morton had eight, and
Kaitlin Boyd posted ten kills. Six Fire players had hitting percentages over .375 in the game, contributing to an outstanding .420 hitting percentage.
The Fire will look to carry this momentum into their next two conference matches, a road game vs Ave Maria and a match at home against Keiser University.
The Fire:
Southeastern will need to stifle their opponents' attack if they are to have success in the next two games. The Fire rank 14
th in the nation in blocks per game (2.31), largely due to the efforts of Uche Kojo, who leads the Sun Conference and is 20
th in the NAIA in that category (1.2).
Alyssa Prescott also adds to the SEU defense, as she leads the team in digs with 309.
On the offensive side of the ball, Rooth, the senior outside hitter, leads the Fire in aces (26) and kills (236). The combination of Rooth and Boyd, who hits .324, which is good enough for 30
th in the country, can be deadly.
Lindsey Fleming, the team leader in assists (597), will look to set up the Fire hitters.
Ave Maria (8-12, 3-6 TSC):
With a 3-6 conference record and games against tough conference opponents remaining, Ave Maria is certainly on the outside looking in when it comes to making the conference tournament. The Gyrenes will now look to spoil the party for either the Fire or the Keiser Seahawks.
Ave Maria is not a team to be overlooked. The Gyrenes do have talent, especially on offense. Lexy Smith, the middle blocker from Virginia, leads the team in kills (209) and blocks (36), while also ranking 7
th in the nation in hitting percentage (.388). As a team, Ave Maria is 33
rd in the NAIA in service aces per game (1.83). Lexie Andric, who ranks 17
th in the country in service aces per game (.58), and Hannah Wurster, who is 38
th in hitting percentage (.314), also contribute to the Gyrene attack.
In their last matchup with Ave Maria, Southeastern easily handled the Gyrenes, sweeping them at home. The Fire outhit the Gyrenes .341 to .046 and had 38 kills while only recording ten errors.
Keiser University (18-4, 5-3 TSC):
The Seahawks hold the coveted fourth and final spot in the conference tournament race. With that being said, the matchup with Southeastern could potentially determine who receives a bid to the conference tournament.
Keiser should be a tough test for the Fire. The Seahawks rank in the top ten in the country in both service aces per game (2.61) and hitting percentage (.265). Nikki McKown leads the team in aces with 28 and total kills with 180. The Seahawk offense is set up by Nicole Papineau, who is 23
rd in the country in assists per game (10.27).
Earlier this month, the Seahawks won a closely contested battle against the Fire. Though the Fire fell in the match, four Southeastern hitters had at least seven kills. For Keiser, McKown led the match with 18 kills and Papineau added 43 assists in four sets.
Closing Thoughts:
The Fire may need some help from their conference opponents if they wish for a shot at defending their Sun Conference Championship. If the Fire can beat both Ave Maria and Keiser, while the other games play out the way they should, the matchup between Ave Maria and Keiser on November 1
st would prove to be vital to the Fire's chances. If the Fire take care of business against Keiser in four sets, or the Fire win out against their conference opponents, and Ave Maria beats Keiser, then the Fire would make the tournament.
