LAKELAND, Fla.— The Fire volleyball team edged conference foe Florida Memorial in five sets to push their win-streak to six. After taking every other set, Southeastern trailed 12-14 in the final set and found a way to rally for the victory.
Coach
Audrey Goldsberry shared her thoughts on her team's performance, "We started a little slow, but as the game went on we found the intensity and passion that we have been talking about, finding a new mindset and we were able to come together in the third, fourth, and fifth set to take the win tonight."
The Fire couldn't recover from a 4-0 early deficit and nine errors in the first set and ended up dropping the set 25-15.
Southeastern started slow again in the second set trailing 10-6 before finding their rhythm and going on a 5-0 run to take a 11-10 lead. Senior
Sarah Castillo assisted an
Emily Kalmink kill and had a kill of her own to spark the Fire run. Castillo ended up leading Southeastern with 36 assists on the night. The Fire ended the set strong with another run, scoring four straight to take the second set. Kalmink had another kill along with two blocks that sparked the Fire run. Coach Goldsberry commented on Emily's performance after the game, "She really stepped up big and she does every game. It's almost to be expected but it's always so appreciated how she just knows how to come through for her team in those tight moments."
After dropping the third set 25-18, Southeastern found their groove again to win the fourth set 25-19. Sophomore
Morgan Swanger contributed three kills in the fourth set, on her way to total 11 and Coach Goldsberry commented on the sophomore's game, "She was out all last year and was able to step in tonight. She hasn't had a lot of playing time and tonight she definitely rose to the top and left it all out there for her team."
Trailing 12-14 in the final set, senior
Taylor Gregory was key for Southeastern to comeback. She notched a kill and a block to tie things up before Florida Memorial committed an error on the final point. Gregory had four of her five total blocks in the final set.
Emily Kalmink led the Fire in kills (13) and blocks (9) while freshmen
Grace Ball and
Katie Chillura led Southeastern with 20 digs apiece.
The Fire look to extend their win-streak to seven when they host St. Francis on October 15th at 8 p.m.
