LAKELAND, Fla.—In a hard fought four-set match, the Fire took down Florida Memorial for their fourth conference win in a row to improve to 13-5 (5-2 TSC).
The Fire started out slow in the first two sets, allowing the Lions to jump out to three point advantages early in each frame. Fueled by four of
Kaitlin Boyd's 15 kills, Southeastern utilized a 15-10 stretch to take the opening game 25-20.
In the second set, the Lions stormed back. Six attacking errors by the Fire allowed Florida Memorial to tie the game at 18. The Lions then used a 7-3 run, thanks to kills by Jessica Medina and Yulianna Charris, to even the match at one with a 25-21 win. Medina and Charris finished the contest with 16 and 13 kills, respectively. Francheska Rivera added a match-high 43 assists to contribute on offense.
Changes in the third frame helped the Fire take control of the match. With a one point lead mid-way through the set,
Kaity Reed killed three attack attempts in a row, which powered a 10-3 stretch to increase the advantage to eight. Reed ended the contest tied for the team lead in kills with Boyd with 15. She also contributed defensively with 14 digs and five blocks.
As Southeastern looked to close out the match, the defense came up big. The Fire blocked 13 attack attempts, compared to Florida Memorial's single block. Three Fire players blocked at least five Lions' attack attempts.
With the game tied at 23 late, Southeastern used blocks by
Emily Boehlein, Reed and Boyd to send Florida Memorial packing. Boehlein stuffed a match-high seven Florida Memorial attempts, while Boyd scored the winning point with an emphatic solo block as the Fire won the set 27-25 and the match 3-1.
Keniah Rivera Santiago led the Fire once again in an impressive defensive effort with 19 digs.
Southeastern will be back on the court when they take on Webber on Wednesday in the Furnace. The match is scheduled for 6 p.m.
