LAKELAND, Fla. - The Fire volleyball team is preparing for their full week of play. After falling to conference opponents Warner and St. Thomas last week, the Southeastern women are set to bounce back during their three match week.
Game 14: Southeastern University (7-6, The Sun Conference 1-3) vs. Trinity College (6-4)
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Game 15: Southeastern University (7-6, The Sun Conference 1-3) vs. Ave Maria University (6-6, The Sun Conference 2-2)
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Game 16: Southeastern University (7-6, The Sun Conference 1-3) at. Keiser University (11-3, The Sun Conference 2-2
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The Fire's Catalysts
Southeastern is made of an attack which is led by Lydia Rooth and Kelsey Morton. Rooth, the senior from Raleigh, N.C., has 150 kills on the season, 15 of which came in the contest against Warner University this past week. Along with her kills, comes her 140 digs she has posted. Rooth is a well rounded player that is able to put points away for the Fire, as well as, keep them alive on the defensive side of the ball.
In the match that went five sets against Warner, Morton landed 14 kills to move her total to 117 on the season. Morton comes into the matches this week with a .285 hitting percentage and also aides in the defensive department with 32 blocks.
The attack of Southeastern is matched by a solid defensive front led by Uche Kojo. In the team's 13 matches, Kojo has denied 46 attempts at the net. The 46 blocks ranks 31st in NAIA in blocks per game.
Assisting her at the net is Lakeland native, Kaitlin Boyd, who has 36 blocks on the season. The two women make up an intimidating wall that is difficult for many opponents to break.
The Tigers:
Trinity College, led by coach Rachel Noble, is coming off of a straight set win over Trinity Baptist College. The Tigers' attack is led by Rylee Finger who has logged 69 kills in the 2016 campaign. Earlier in the season, the Tigers squared off against Ave Maria University where Finger led the team with 10 kills. Trinity comes into the match against the Fire averaging 8.17 kills per game.
Setting up the Tiger attack is Taylor Smith, who makes up 119 of the team's 185 assists. Smith also leads all of NCCAA DII in services aces with 31 in 27 sets played. In their 29 sets played this year, the Tigers total 104 aces which breaks down into 3.59 per game.
On the defensive side of the ball, Trinity as team, has tallied 487 digs which averages 16.79 digs per game and ranks eighth in NCCAA Division II. Autumn Reed is accredited for 119 of those digs.
The Gyrenes:
After a 1-1 record last week, the Gyrenes enter the contest against the Fire aiming to eclipse the .500 mark for the season. They post a 2-3 record when traveling on the road and will have to play in a hostile Furnace environment.
Ave Maria is led by Lexy Smith who leads all of the NAIA in hitting percentage at .455. Smith has landed 106 of 189 kills for a .455 hitting percentage. While she leads the team in kills, Smith also leads the Gyrenes in blocks with 14.
Assisting Smith on the attack for the Gyrenes is Hannah Wurster. The native of Conestoga, Pa. has been successful in 72 kills with a .291 hitting percentage. She is also a force to be reckoned with at the net with 11 blocks on the year.
Setting up the attack is the sophomore from Palm City, Fla. Lauren Ruby. Ruby leads the team with 288 assists, more than halfway to her 2015 total of 421.
When it comes to defense, all hands are on deck for the Gyrenes. Leading the defensive charge is Jessica Schein with 98 digs while four other players on the team have more than 30 digs.
The Seahawks:
In the 2016 season, only one team has defeated St. Thomas in conference play and it happens to be the Fire's opponent on Saturday. After a nine game win streak to start the season, Keiser enters the match against Southeastern after suffering a straight set loss to Webber International, the Sun Conference's first place team.
The Seahawks' attack is made up of four formidable pieces equalling 442 of the 596 kills. Nikki McKown leads the charge with 119 kills. Along with McKown's kills comes her, team leading, 20 aces.
Not far behind McKown, is Chantelle Zamora. The senior from Walla Walla, Wash. has tallied 115 kills and contributes on the defensive end with 162 digs.
The last two pieces of the attack are Veera Hietala and Samantha Thompson. Hietala totals 103 kills, 104 digs, and 18 blocks. Thompson is also putting together a solid season with 105 kills and 36 blocks.
Forming the wall at the net alongside Thompson is Megan Minke standing in at 5-11. Minke is credited with 34 blocks in her senior season.
Keiser is a team that can excel on both on offense and defense with key players all throughout the court.
Closing Thoughts:
The Fire enter the busy week looking to improve upon their record. They are set for a couple of Sun Conference matchups that will hopefully propel them up of the standings. In last year's matchup against Ave Maria, the Fire won both contests in straight sets. The Gyrenes are aiming to flip the script come Wednesday while the Fire are seeking to maintain their dominance.
Southeastern and Keiser will take part in the rubber match on Saturday in West Palm Beach, Fla. In the first meeting last year, the Fire came out on top in straight sets, however in their second matchup the Seahawks were victorious in five sets.
This is in the making of for an exciting week for Fire volleyball as the women aim to go 3-0 in a week filled with matches.
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