LAKELAND, Fla. – SEU volleyball will open its 2025 season this weekend with a pair of matches at the SEU Invitational. The Fire begin on Friday at 2 p.m. against Point before hosting Reinhardt on Saturday at noon. The Furnace will host seven matches over the two days of the Invitational.
Every match of the SEU Invitational will be streamed live on
The Sun Digital Network. Fans can also follow with live stats. A complete tournament schedule with links for all live features is available at
fire.seu.edu/seuinvitational.
ABOUT THE FIRE
Coming off a run to the championship match of the 2024 Sun Conference Tournament, SEU was picked to finish second in 2025, according to the Sun Conference Preseason Coaches Poll released on Monday.
The Fire were strong at home last season, posting a 7-1 record in The Furnace with the only loss to a nationally ranked foe. Over the past three seasons, SEU has compiled a 21-4 record at home.
KEY RETURNERS
This year's Fire squad returns seven players who appeared in a match last season.
Yarelis Lopez returns after totaling 202 kills and 26 service aces last season. She had double figures in kills 10 times during the season with seven double-doubles.
Marysa Connors is back with the Fire in 2025 after leading the team with 417 digs a season ago. Her 4.91 digs per set ranked third in the conference and came behind 10 matches with 20-plus digs.
Haven Speer returns after recording 394 assists for the Fire as a freshman last season. She had 20 or more assists in a match nine times, including five straight matches at one point during conference play.
THE NEWCOMERS
Laura Bonomi joins the squad this season after spending two seasons at Cowley County Community College, where she was named the 2024 NJCAA DII Player of the Year, AVCA Two-Year College Player of the Year, and NJCAA National Tournament MVP. Bonomi was a two-time First Team NJCAA DII All-American, First Team AVCA All-American, First Team All-Region, and First Team All-Conference.
Other key transfers among the 11 newcomers include
Lucrezia Ceroni, who won a pair of NJCAA National Championships as a teammate of Bonomi at Cowley County, and
Jewel Carling, who came from Benedictine Mesa and was the 2023 Cal Pac Freshman of the Year.
ABOUT THE OPPOSITION
Point will enter the weekend under first-year head coach Brent McCoy. Claire Cordell returns to the Skyhawks lineup after leading the team to a 15-11 record in 2024 with a team-best 173 kills.
Reinhardt visits Lakeland to open the season after going 25-8 and reaching the NAIA Opening Round last season. Jenna Smith is back for the Eagles after leading the team with 349 kills as a sophomore in 2024.
INSIDE THE SERIES
SEU is 14-0 all-time against Point, with the series dating back to 2005. The teams last played during the 2023 season, where the Fire completed a sweep. That was the first time the teams had played since 2017. [
SERIES HISTORY]
The Fire have gone 1-3 in four all-time meetings with Reinhardt, with all happening since 2017. The teams have never met in Lakeland. The last time the team played, Reinhardt swept SEU at the Faulkner Invitational in 2023. [
SERIES HISTORY]
