LAKELAND, Fla. -- SEU Volleyball earned one of its biggest wins in recent program history Saturday afternoon, taking down No. 12 St. Thomas in a five-set thriller (25-13, 25-18, 21-25, 17-25, 15-12) inside The Furnace. The victory ended the Bobcats' 34-match Sun Conference winning streak that had stretched back to the 2022 season and moved the Fire to 15-2 overall and 6-1 in league play.
The Fire came out locked in, jumping on the nationally ranked Bobcats with high-efficiency offense and strong defensive positioning. SEU hit .375 in the opening set and committed just three attack errors to take control early, then followed with another sharp second frame to go up 2-0 in the match. Southeastern's tempo, passing accuracy, and composure in transition helped keep St. Thomas off balance through the opening half.
The Bobcats regrouped in the third and fourth sets, using extended runs and timely blocking to even the match and force a decisive fifth. But Southeastern steadied itself in the final frame, leaning on clean serve receive and balanced distribution from setters
Haven Speer and
Ashley Downs. The Fire capitalized on key defensive stops and closed out the win with clutch swings at the net, sealing a signature conference victory.
Southeastern finished with 61 kills, 56 assists, 71 digs, and 14 total blocks, while holding St. Thomas to a .172 hitting percentage.
Laura Bonomi led the way with a season-high 21 kills, 18 digs, and 23.5 total points to pace the Fire attack.
Yarelis Lopez added 13 kills and 15 digs, and
Jewel Carling chipped in 11 kills and two blocks.
Haven Speer and
Ashley Downs combined for 48 assists, with Downs also collecting 16 digs.
Marysa Connors anchored the back row with 15 digs, while
Lucrezia Ceroni tallied six blocks in the middle.
Now halfway through Sun Conference play, the Fire will open the second half of the league schedule on Friday, October 10, 2025, traveling to Florida Memorial University for a 2 p.m. match in Miami Gardens, Fla.
