LAKELAND, Fla.—The Fire volleyball team swept an opponent for the seventh time this season as they defeated Ave Maria 3-0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-12) to improve to 11-5 (3-2 TSC) on the year.
Senior
Kelsey Morton took over the match from the very beginning. The Fire jumped out to an early 7-3 advantage thanks to five kills and a .625 hitting percentage. Three straight Morton attempts were put away to extend the lead to nine points mid-way through the opening frame. The experienced outside hitter ended the first game with her sixth kill, while attacking with an astounding .714 hitting percentage, as the Fire routed the Gyrenes in the set 25-12.
Errors plagued both teams toward the beginning of the second set. The Fire and the Gyrenes combined for 13 errors in the first 20 points of the set. With the game knotted at 14, Southeastern went on an 11-5 run to go up 2-0 in the match. Freshman
Kaity Reed and Morton each registered two kills during the stretch. Reed finished the contest with ten kills and a .348 hitting percentage, while also digging eight attack attempts.
As the Fire looked to close out the competition, their offense seemed unstoppable. Southeastern opened up a 10-3 lead thanks to six kills without a single error. The Fire then went on another run to go up double-digits. With a 17-7 advantage, the offense had recorded 13 kills and had made only a single error.
Kaitlin Boyd,
Kiana Sawtelle, and Morton each played an instrumental part in the final set. All three attackers killed at least four attempts in the last frame, as the Fire claimed the set 25-12 behind 16 kills on a .382 hitting percentage, their highest totals in any set of the contest. Morton ended the night with 14 kills, her third straight game with as many kills, and a match-high .524 hitting percentage.
On the defensive side of the court, Sawtelle added 11 digs, while
Keniah Rivera Santiago led the team in digs for the 15
th consecutive competition with 13. Boyd blocked a team-high five Ave Maria attacks.
Overall, the Fire dominated the Gyrenes in nearly every statistical category. Ave Maria tallied a mere 25 kills in the contest, compared to Southeastern's 43 killed attack attempts. Because the Gyrenes committed as many errors as they did kills, Ave Maria hit .000, while the Fire blasted attack attempts for a .302 hitting percentage.
Natalie Rosinski was the lone offensive threat for the Gyrenes with a team-high nine kills and a .167 hitting percentage. Daniela Jaramillo led the Ave Maria defense with 13 digs.
Southeastern will be back on the court when they battle Warner on October 4
th. The match is scheduled for 7 p.m.
