BRADENTON, Fla. -- In a clash of Sun Conference contenders, SEU Women's Volleyball dropped a tightly contested three-set match on the road against New College of Florida, falling 19-25, 18-25, 24-26 on Wednesday evening. The Fire move to 9-2 overall and 1-1 in conference play after their first setback in league competition.
The Fire battled throughout the night but couldn't overcome the Mighty Banyans' attack despite a late surge in the third set. Southeastern showed resilience, rallying from multiple deficits and forcing extra points in the final frame before ultimately falling 26-24. After dropping the opening set 25-19, SEU tightened its defensive coverage but couldn't string together enough offensive runs in the second set, falling 25-18. The third set saw the Fire hit a match-best .300 attack percentage, but New College capitalized on timely kills to close out the sweep.
Jewel Carling led the Fire with a team-high 8 kills on an efficient .727 hitting percentage, pacing the offense.
Laura Bonomi contributed 6 kills, 4 assists, and added 2 aces to finish with a team-leading 9.5 points.
Annelise de Jong chipped in 5 kills, while
Lucrezia Ceroni added 3 kills and a pair of assisted blocks. Setter
Ashley Downs directed the attack with 11 assists and provided 5 digs. Defensively,
Marysa Connors anchored the back row with a team-best 16 digs, supported by
Yarelis Lopez with 9 digs and Bonomi with 8.
Southeastern finished the match with 31 kills, 51 digs, and 5 service aces, while hitting .168 as a team.
The Fire will aim to bounce back at The Furnace this Saturday, September 13, when they host Ave Maria University in their annual Alumni Day match. First serve is set for 2 p.m. Fans are encouraged to pack the stands as Southeastern celebrates its program history while looking to pick up a key Sun Conference win.
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