LAKELAND, Fla.—Following a three-set defeat in Babson Park earlier this year, the Fire will host Webber International on Wednesday looking to avenge their first conference loss of the season in a crucial Sun Conference matchup in the Furnace. Southeastern, who sits in second place in the league standings, trails the Warriors by two games heading into the last six competitions of the regular season.
GAME INFO:
Southeastern University (17-3, 9-2 TSC) vs Webber International University (18-3, 11-0 TSC)
Date: Wednesday, October 17
th, 2018
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Lakeland, Fla.
Game Coverage: Live Updates- @SEUFireVBall on Twitter, Live Stats/Video- https://portal.stretchinternet.com/southeastern/
Bouncing Back:
Southeastern comes into the match trying to bounce back from its first home loss of the year, a 3-0 defeat to Warner, and attempting to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time this season. The Fire are 3-0 in matches after a defeat this year and have won their last eight following a loss dating back to the 2017 campaign.
Can You Dig It?
Keniah Rivera Santiago, Southeastern's libero, ranks 21
st in the country in digs per set (5.44 digs per game). The senior has registered double-digit dig totals in each of the past 15 competitions, averaging nearly 20 digs per match during the span (19.87). Rivera Santiago needs just 107 digs to reach 1,000 total digs as a member of the Fire, which equates to 17.83 digs per contest for the six regular season matches remaining. Against conference teams, Rivera Santiago is digging 6.0 attacks per set, tied for the second-most in the Sun Conference.
Webber:
The Warriors come into the Furnace riding a 13-match winning streak with a perfect conference record (11-0). Webber, who hasn't lost in over a month, meets SEU for the first of three matches on the road. WIU is led by Virginia Salanoa-Sagapolu and Nayrelis Pantoja Santos on offense and defense, respectively.
In conference play, Salanoa-Sagapolu and Pantoja Santos have ramped up their performances even more, helping improve Webber's streak of TSC victories. Salanoa-Sagapolu has collected 3.6 kills per set in TSC play, ranking second in the conference, while Pantoja Santos is averaging 6.2 digs per game versus conference squads, the most of any Sun Conference player.
Previous Meetings:
SEU and Webber have met 40 times since the 2001 season with the Warriors claiming 33 of the contests including the last six in the series. WIU swept Southeastern in Babson Park earlier this year. When the teams play against each other in the Furnace, the Fire have a record of 3-14 all time.
