Box Score LAKELAND, Fla. — No. 15 Southeastern volleyball earned a straight-set victory over Ave Maria on Saturday afternoon at The Furnace, winning 25-14, 25-14, 25-12 to improve to 15-4 overall and 10-1 in Sun Conference play.
SEU controlled the match from the start, hitting .276 as a team while limiting the Gyrenes to a .035 hitting percentage. The team also recorded nine service aces and three total blocks in the sweep.
The Fire set the tone early in the opening set, recording 16 kills while committing just one attack error to hit .385. SEU built its lead behind consistent offensive production and closed out the set 25-14.
Continuing that momentum into the second set, SEU hit .379 with 12 kills and just one error. The Fire maintained control throughout the set to take another 25-14 win and move within one set of the sweep.
In the third set, SEU overcame some offensive struggles to finish the match with a 25-12 victory. Strong serving and defensive play helped limit Ave Maria's opportunities as the Fire completed the sweep.
Laura Bonomi led the Fire with 11 kills on 33 attempts, hitting .303, while adding two service aces and 14 digs.
Jillian Zoerman followed with nine kills and 10.5 points, while
Jewel Carling contributed seven kills and hit .300.
Haven Speer orchestrated the offense with 27 assists and added three kills and two service aces.
Mallori Grey led the defensive effort with 23 digs, while Bonomi added 14 digs to help anchor the backcourt.
SEU's balanced attack and defensive consistency proved difficult for Ave Maria to overcome. The Gyrenes finished with 23 kills and 19 attack errors, while the Fire recorded 38 kills and committed just nine errors.
With the victory, SEU improved to 10-1 in conference play and 15-4 overall. Ave Maria fell to 7-9 overall and 3-7 in Sun Conference action.
