LAKELAND, Fla.—In their last match of a four game homestand, the Fire swept Johnson & Wales in commanding fashion to finish the string of home competitions with a 3-1 record.
After falling behind by two points in every set, Southeastern bounced back by using long stretches of extraordinary play to win the games by scores of 25-8, 25-13, and 25-15, respectively.
Trailing 4-2 in the opening frame, the Fire went on a 13-1 run, fueled by eight straight serves by
Hannah Kinlaw. The eight point span featured two of Kinlaw's three service aces on the day and three kills by senior
Kaitlin Boyd.
Southeastern only allowed the Wildcats to record three more points in the set to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
The second set included more of the same for the Fire. With a 14-9 advantage in the game, SEU rattled off another string of eight consecutive points, this time at the hands of Boyd. The Lakeland, Florida native served three aces and added three kills with a perfect 1.000 hitting percentage in the set.
Kelsey Morton also helped the Fire come out victorious with four kills in the frame, as Southeastern took a 2-0 advantage with a 25-13 set two win.
The final game was more closely contested than the previous two, but had the same result. Johnson & Wales began the set with a 5-1 stretch, but quickly fell behind 9-8. The Fire then ended the competition on a 16-7 run, with contributions from
Keniah Rivera Santiago and Boyd.
The libero tallied six of her team-high 13 digs in the final set and added three service aces, while Boyd killed six more attack attempts. Boyd concluded the day with a match-high 15 kills and a remarkable .684 hitting percentage.
Savannah Swenson tried to keep the Wildcats in the match with nine kills on the day. Ultimately, Johnson & Wales fell short in the final game by a score of 25-15. Libero Bianca Torres recorded 12 digs in the losing effort for the Wildcats.
The Fire will play the newest Sun Conference member, Coastal Georgia, on Wednesday. The contest is scheduled for 7 p.m.
