FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Southeastern University volleyball struggled to find momentum on Friday, dropping back-to-back decisions against two top-15 opponents at the Onesti Center Arena.

Match 1: No. 13 IU Kokomo 3, Southeastern 1

(25-17, 22-25, 22-25, 23-25) 

Southeastern started strong in the opening match of the day, commanding the first set to pull away with a 25-17 victory. High-octane attacks from Laura Bonomi and Lucrezia Ceroni sparked the offense, while setter Haven Speer dished out 44 total assists throughout the match.

However, the Cougars answered back with a high-percentage attack over the remaining three frames. The Cougars found their rhythm in the second frame, leaning on Mya Grigsby to counter the Fire's early lead. A tightly contested third set saw both sides trade physical swings at the net. Marina Santos delivered key kills to keep the Fire neck-and-neck, but IU Kokomo capitalized on late Southeastern attack errors to claim a 2-1 match lead. Led by Mya Grigsby's 27-kill performance, IU Kokomo edged Southeastern in three tight sets to claim the match.

Match 2: No. 9 Mount Vernon Nazarene 3, Southeastern 0

(18-25, 19-25, 18-25)

MVNU established a relentless offensive pace from the opening serve. Backed by early kills from Libby Evanshine, the Cougars limited the Fire offense and took set one 25-18.

MVNU maintained a relentless offensive pace, hitting .279 as a team while restricting the Fire to a .088 hitting percentage. Southeastern fought back in set three, taking advantage of MVNU errors to build late leads, but the Cougars rode 12 kills apiece from Libby Evanshine and Emily Aabye to secure the sweep.

Up next: The Fire (4-2) will look to recalibrate tomorrow against Grace (Ind.) and Saint Francis (Ind.)