LAKELAND, Fla. -- SEU Volleyball launched its 2025 season with a dominant performance at the SEU Invitational on Friday afternoon, sweeping Point in straight sets (25-18, 25-13, 25-12) at The Furnace. Behind a balanced offensive attack and a disciplined defensive effort, the Fire controlled the tempo from start to finish to begin the year 1-0.
Senior outside hitter
Yarelis Lopez led the way with a match-high 14 kills, hitting .448 on 29 swings while adding eight digs, two aces, and a block. Junior
Laura Bonomi turned in a double-double in her Fire debut, recording 11 kills on a .333 clip with 16 digs and two service aces.
The Fire's offense operated efficiently throughout the match, finishing with a team hitting percentage of .363 and 45 total kills. Sophomore setter
Ava Connors paced the attack with 25 assists, while senior
Haven Speer added 18 assists and an ace. Southeastern tallied seven aces as a team, with five different players contributing at the service line.
Defensively, the Fire limited Point to just 20 kills and a .047 hitting percentage.
Marysa Connors also reached double figures in digs with 13, while
Lucrezia Ceroni contributed a pair of blocks.
SEU's control was evident in each set, with several key scoring runs defining the match. In the opening frame, the Fire used a 9-1 run to turn a 5-4 deficit into a 13-6 lead, sparked by kills from Lopez and
Emily Maske, and a service ace from
Mallori Grey. The second set saw Southeastern break open a tight 10-9 margin with a 7-1 burst, fueled by aces from Connors and Bonomi. In the final frame, the Fire closed the match on a 13-3 run, with
Annelise de Jong and Lopez delivering back-to-back kills to seal the sweep.
The Fire return to action Saturday when they host Reinhardt at noon. The match is the second of three matches on the day to close out the SEU Invitational.
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