LAKELAND, Fla.—With only five matches remaining in the regular season, the Fire look to solidify their postseason position as they prepare for three conference competitions in the upcoming week.
Southeastern, who currently sits at 18-6 (8-3 TSC), will face Ave Maria at home on Wednesday before heading to Miami Gardens to take on St. Thomas and Florida Memorial on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
The Fire have swept each of their last five matches in commanding fashion with
Kaitlin Boyd being a consistent source of offense for Southeastern during the stretch. Over the past five contests, Boyd has registered three double-digit kill totals while only committing six errors on 68 attack attempts. The Lakeland native has hit .574 during the streak, raising her hitting percentage to .375, the tenth best such percentage in the country. Defensively, the senior leads the Sun Conference in blocks, averaging 0.8 per set.
Ave Maria
After opening their season with a 2-13 record, Ave Maria has doubled their win total by going 2-2 in their last four games. The Gyrenes defeated Keiser and Johnson & Wales in back-to-back matches before falling to the top two teams in the conference, Webber and St. Thomas. Bre Holder played a major role in the two victories by recording nine kills against Keiser and a team-high 11 kills versus JWU.
In their first matchup of the season, the Fire swept the Gyrenes on the road.
Kelsey Morton registered 14 kills and a .524 hitting percentage in the win. The kills are the most in a three set match for Morton this season, while the hitting percentage is her season high in all competitions. Natalie Rosinski accounted for nine of Ave Maria's 25 kills in the game. Since the contest, Southeastern has caught fire, winning eight of their last nine.
St. Thomas
Though they come into their game with the Fire at 12-10, St. Thomas has impressed in conference play with a perfect 9-0 record.
Whitney Battoe captains the Bobcats on the attack. The outside hitter has tallied 300 kills on the year and has earned double-digit kill totals in seven of her last nine games. Battoe, who averages a conference-most 3.63 kills per set, has reached the 20-kill plateau three times this season.
Earlier this year, St. Thomas took a close five set competition between the two teams as Battoe killed 21 attack attempts for the Bobcats, while
Kaitlin Boyd matched Battoe's 21 kills, a career-high, on a .389 hitting percentage in a losing effort.
Florida Memorial
Florida Memorial currently sits at 8-12 (5-7 TSC) after winning each of their last three matchups. Yulianna Charris and Jessica Medina both present an offensive threat for the Lions. The two players combine for over half of Florida Memorial's kills on the season (315/618), while registering the top two hitting percentages on the team, as well (Medina with .207 and Charris with .183).
The Lions and the Fire met in the Furnace just over two weeks ago, when Southeastern prevailed in a four set clash largely due to the play of
Kaity Reed and Boyd. The duo tallied 30 of the Fire's 54 kills on the day, each recording 15 and at least five blocks. Both players hit over .300 and Reed added 14 digs defensively. For the Lions, Medina killed a match-high 16 attempts, while Charris contributed with 13. Charris dug 14 balls for one of her five double-doubles on the year.
The game against Ave Maria is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Furnace. On Friday, the Fire will take on St. Thomas at 7 p.m. before their competition with Florida Memorial at 12 p.m. on Saturday.
