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Box Score 2
WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. While you do not win the Red Banner in August, the Fire volleyball team does bring home a title. More importantly, the squad earned some marquee wins early in the season and won games with a postseason feel to them. They did so by pulling out a pair gritty five-set thrillers over Morningside and #10 Cumberlands at the Keiser Summer Classic.Â
Match One: Southeastern 3, Morningside 2
(25-23, 21-25, 25-21, 21-25, 15-10)
Southeastern established an aggressive net presence early in the opening set, trading blows in a tightly contested frame. Trailing 22-21 late, the Fire rallied behind key swings from Marina Santos and Laura Bonomi. With the set knotted at 24-24, Bonomi put down the decisive kill off an assist from Haven Speer to secure the 25-23 opening victory.
Morningside responded in the second set, utilizing a mid-set run to build momentum and hold off a late Southeastern push to take the frame 25-21.
The Fire reasserted control in the third, hitting a match-high .375 behind a balanced attack. Beatriz Lampugnani Cornachini and Joyce Crosby caught fire at the net, connecting repeatedly with Speer to distance SEU from the Mustangs. Bonomi capped off the strong offensive set with a late kill from Jillian Zoerman to seal the 25-21 set win and put the Fire ahead 2-1.
Morningside refused to go away quietly, capitalizing on late Southeastern miscues to pull away in the fourth set for a 25-21 win to force a deciding fifth set.
In the final frame, Southeastern quickly erased an early 3-0 deficit. Miliani Avila-Bauzo sparked the defense with a service ace to jumpstart a Fire run. Nursing an 11-10 advantage late in the frame, SEU shut the door completely, closing the match on a 4-0 run. Santos delivered a clutch kill before back-to-back blocks at the net from Cornachini and Crosby clinched the 15-10 victory.
Top Performers:
Match Two: Southeastern 3, No. 10 Cumberlands 2
(23-25, 28-30, 25-23, 25-23, 15-7)
Southeastern completed an impressive weekend sweep and secured the tournament title by outlasting No. 10 Cumberlands in a dramatic five-set thriller. The opening two sets were heartbreakers for the Fire. In set one, SEU erased a late deficit before Cumberlands pulled away with a 25-23 win. The second frame proved to be an absolute marathon, featuring extended extra points where both teams traded heavy blows before the Patriots finally edged out a 30-28 victory to build a 2-0 match lead.
Refusing to fold, Southeastern reignited its attack in set three. Behind steady defensive play from junior libero Laura Bonomi and clinical ball distribution from setters Ashley Downs and Haven Speer, SEU held off a late Patriots rally to claim a 25-23 win.
Set four brought similar drama. The Fire dialed up the defensive intensity, forcing eight attack errors from Cumberlands. Clinging to a tight lead late, SEU closed out another 25-23 victory to force a decisive fifth set.
Southeastern carried all the momentum into the final frame. Opening on a fiery 6-0 run behind the serving of Bonomi, SEU never looked back. The Fire offense hit a blistering .182 in the fifth set while limiting the Patriots to just four kills, putting the final stamp on a dominant 15-7 set victory to seal the tournament championship.
Top Performers:
Up Next
The Fire play a scrimmage on August 18th against No. 3 (D2) Tampa.Â
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