MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- SEU volleyball continued its strong start to the season Friday afternoon, rolling to a straight-set sweep of Stillman College, 25-19, 25-11, 25-12, to open play at the Faulkner Invitational. The win pushes the Fire to 6-1 on the year, with their fifth sweep.
Junior outside hitter
Laura Bonomi led the Fire offensively with a match-high 18 kills on a superb .469 hitting percentage, while adding two service aces and five digs.
Yarelis Lopez recorded nine kills and paced the defense with a team-best 14 digs, while
Jewel Carling added six kills on just 11 swings, hitting .545.
Haven Speer kept the offense firing on all cylinders, dishing out 38 assists as SEU finished with 45 kills and a .260 team hitting percentage.
The first set was the tightest of the afternoon, as Stillman matched Southeastern early before the Fire used a 6-2 run, keyed by three Bonomi kills, to break a 10-10 tie. Lopez added two more kills down the stretch, and SEU capitalized on several Stillman errors to pull away for a 25-19 opening win despite committing eight attack errors themselves.
In the second set, SEU set the tone immediately, jumping out to an 8-2 lead behind clean ball control and aggressive swings. Bonomi and Carling combined for eight kills in the frame, while Speer distributed the offense to keep the Tigers guessing. The Fire dominated defensively, holding Stillman to just two kills on 28 attempts and forcing a -.179 hitting percentage. SEU's balanced attack produced 15 kills on a .273 clip as the Fire cruised to a 25-11 victory.
The Fire carried that energy into the third set, opening on a 7-1 run sparked by back-to-back Bonomi kills and a block from Carling and Speer. The Fire never let the Tigers recover, hitting .342 as a team in the frame. Bonomi delivered six kills, Lopez added four more, and Speer collected 13 of her 38 assists in the set alone. SEU closed the match emphatically with a 25-12 clincher to complete the sweep.
Defensively, Southeastern limited Stillman to just 15 total kills and a -.058 hitting percentage, forcing 20 attack errors. The Fire also posted a 45-36 advantage in digs and out-aced the Tigers 5-2.
The Fire will look to build on their early-season momentum as play continues at the Faulkner Invitational on Saturday, facing Reinhardt at 10 a.m. before matching up with host Faulkner at noon.
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