The (Carrollwood) News & Tribune: Southeastern Volleyball Scores Outside Hitter Recruit
(04-28-10)

Tampa, Fla.--Southeastern Volleyball Coach Terry Thomas wasn't looking for Laura Ackart on his scouting trip, but he couldn't help but notice her performance for Gaither High against Naples Gulf Coast.

"She was lighting it up out there," Thomas recalled.

As a result, Ackart has now signed a letter of intent to play for the Lady Fire volleyball program.

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Karina Mambuca signs with lady fire volleyball program
(02-23-10)

LAKELAND, Fla.--Looking ahead to the 2010 Lady Fire Volleyball Season, Head Coach Terry Thomas has done a nice job recruiting for next season.

Thomas has already signed two players who could potentially have immediate impact for the Lady Fire next season as freshmen.

One of those freshmen coming to Southeastern will be Karina Mambuca of Naples, Florida. Mambuca is a 6'0 middle blocker or outside hitter, and she signed with the Lady Fire late in 2009.

"The first time I went to watch her play volleyball, I called 911 because she was sick," Lady Fire Head Coach Terry Thomas joked. "We are thrilled to have such a great player and person joining our quest."

Mambuca is a four-year letterman at Gulf Coast High School where she helped lead GCHS to two consecutive conference championships from 2008-2009. Also, she was named All-County and All-Area in 2008 & 2009 while leading Southwest Florida in blocks and kills for middle hitters. Mambuca also served as team captain, and she was named Team MVP her senior year.

While she posted great offensive numbers her senior year, she also showed her versatility by leading her team in digs as well.

Mambuca has competed on many different club teams over the years and is currenlty playing with USA South.

USA South is a team made up of all the best high school volleyball players in Southwest Florida, and the team recently won the Tampa United Kickoff Tournament. Mambuca and USA South will now travel to Colorado in just a few weeks to compete in the Colorado Crossroads Tournament for the second consecutive season, joining over 100 teams from all over the country to compete for the championship.

"She is not the tallest player, but she gets up so quickly and her timing is so great that she is an extremely effective blocker and hitter." added Thomas. "Perhaps her greatest attribute is enthusiasm."

Mambuca is also an outstanding student, graduating with a 4.7 GPA and with honors.

Joining Mambuca next year at Southeastern will be Christi Limpert from Monument, Colorado. Limpert helped guide Lewis-Palmer High School to a 23-8 record last year, along with the school's 10th straight state tournament appearance.

Limpert is a 6'0 middle hitter who blasted 198 kills with 64 blocks last season.

Both players are expected to enroll at Southeastern in the fall of 2010.

The (Monument, Colo.) Tribune: Colorado Volleyball Standout Limpert to Join Fire
(01-20-10)

Monument, Colo.--It seems like all great teams have a pair of great players, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy. For the Lewis-Palmer High School girls volleyball team it was Kristen Sciacca and Christi Limpert.

"In terms of two middle hitters on the same team, they're probably the best tandem in the state," said LP head coach Coach Susan Odenbaugh. "They are just so talented and are nearly equivalent in abilities."

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Interview With Heather Johnson
(12-10-09)

Listen in below on our conversation with Heather Johnson, junior outside hitter for the Lady Fire volleyball team.

1. You chose Southeastern over other colleges because...?
From the moment I walked onto campus, I felt such a peace in my spirit. I knew that this was where I was supposed to be. It's kind of hard to explain, but I just knew.

2. Your relationship with God, before you got to Southeastern, was like...?
Coming into Southeastern I had a pretty solid relationship with God. I was raised in a Christian home and went to a Christian school my whole life. Because of that, a deep love for Christ was instilled in me at a young age.

3. Southeastern has helped cultivate your relationship with God, right?
Southeastern has been a blessing. The chapels, professors, relationships I've made have really spurred me on in my relationship with Christ.

4. What is it like playing your collegiate sport day in and day out?
I love playing college volleyball--the level of competition is so much higher, and I love that. Plus, I have the best coach ever (Terry Thomas). At times it can get a little stressful trying to juggle sports, school, and life, but I have really loved every minute of my collegiate volleyball experience.

5. And your future plans after you graduate from Southeastern...?
Honestly, I do not know what I am going to do once I graduate from Southeastern. I am just trusting that the Lord will guide me in whatever direction he desires me to go. I know I am called to full-time ministry; I am just not 100% sure which direction to go with that.

6. What is your favorite scripture verse, and why?
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." Ephesians 6:12-13

This verse is such a great reminder that we are in a battle, a battle against the enemy. And God has given us all of the armor and weapons that we need to have the victory.

7. If you couldn't play your sport anymore, what other Southeastern sport would you want to play, and (again) why?
If I could not play volleyball anymore, I would definitely play basketball. I grew up with three brothers, and basketball was our family's sport of choice. Plus, I think it is fun.

8. Your favorite professor at Southeastern would have to be...?
My favorite professor at Southeastern would definitely have to be Dr. Houlihan. He is truly an inspiration.

9. What is your favorite thing to do around Lakeland?
My favorite thing to do around Lakeland would probably be going to the drive-in theater.

10. Can you tell us the funniest thing one of your coaches has said?
I am pretty sure it would be impossible for me to answer this question....Terry, my coach, says the funniest things all the time. Sorry.

11. Do you have a movie fave to share with us?
I love movies! Gladiator, A Walk To Remember, Major Payne, August Rush, Pride and Prejudice, The Green Mile , and the list goes on.

Lady Fire Will Not Advance To NCCAA National Semifinals
(12-04-09)

KISSIMMEE, Fla.--The Southeastern Lady Fire volleyball team will not advance to the NCCAA National Semifinals this year, after losing its first three games of the NCCAA National Tournament.

Southeastern is currently 0-3 in the pool play format.

The Lady Fire opened the tournament, Thursday, versus No. 1 seed Mount Vernon Nazarene and lost in three games (14-25, 22-25, 22-25).

Later on Thursday, Southeastern battled No. 8 seed Bryan College and fell in three games (12-25, 22-25, 17-25).

Southeastern opened play on Friday versus No. 4 seed Northwestern College and lost in four games (19-25, 25-21, 22-25, 22-25).

The Lady Fire will close out the pool play format when the team plays No. 5 seed King College, Friday evening, at 6:00 p.m.

Only the top two teams from each pool will head to the NCCAA National Semifinals on Saturday. Southeastern's loss to Northwestern University earlier today eliminates them from the tournament.

Southeastern is currently 9-26 on the season, though the team did win the NCCAA South Regionals, November 20-21, to advance to this year's national tournament.

Lady Fire Earns No. 9 Seed, Opens With No. 1 Seed Mount Vernon Nazarene
(11-30-09)

LAKELAND, Fla.--The Southeastern Lady Fire volleyball team earned an automatic bid into the 2009 NCCAA D-I National Tournament this week in Kissimmee, Florida, after winning the NCCAA D-I South Regional Tournament.

Southeastern (9-23) grabbed the tournament's No. 9 seed and will play No. 1 seed Mount Vernon Nazarene (Mount Vernon, Ohio) Thursday at noon. The Lady Cougars went 33-8 on the season.

After a tough inaugural season in the NAIA's Sun Conference, Southeastern managed to earn a national tournament berth by winning the NCCAA's South Regional Tournament, November 20-21, in Taylors, South Carolina.

The Lady Fire opened the tournament with a victory over host school, North Greenville University, in four games (27-25, 25-22, 23-25, 25-21). Southeastern then faced Pensacola Christian College in the tournament's championship game and won in a dramatic five game marathon (23-25, 27-25, 19-25, 25-16, 15-12).

Ten teams will participate in this year's national tournament, with pool play being the format for the first two days.

The Lady Fire's only other game on Thursday will be against No. 8 seed Bryan College at 4:00 p.m.

On Friday, Southeastern battles Northwestern College at noon, followed by King College at 6:00 p.m., a game which will close out the pool play format.

The top two teams from each pool will advance to Saturday's NCCAA D-I National Semifinals starting at 10:00 a.m. The national championship game will be played at 3:00 p.m.

All games will be played at the Kissimmee Civic Center.

Southeastern will be in pool A along with No. 4 seed Northwestern College (St. Paul, Minnesota), No. 5 seed King College (Bristol, Tennessee), No. 8 seed Bryan College (Dayton, Tennessee), and Mount Vernon Nazarene.

In pool B, the following teams will compete: No. 2 seed Campbellsville University (Campbellsville, Kentucky), No. 3 seed Southwestern Assemblies of God University (Waxahachie, Texas), No. 6 seed Malone University (Canton, Ohio), No. 7 seed Spring Arbor University (Spring Arbor, Michigan), and No. 10 seed Pensacola Christian College (Pensacola, Florida).

This will be Southeastern University's first ever appearance in the NCCAA D-I National Volleyball Tournament.

Cedarville University won last year's NCCAA National Championship, defeating Dallas Baptist University in three games.

Kissimmee Civic Center
201 E. Dakin Avenue
Kissimmee, FL 34741
407-935-1412

SCAD Defeats Southeastern In Final Home Match
(11-02-09)

LAKELAND, Fla.--Sun Conference powerhouse Savannah College of Art & Design defeated Southeatern 3-0 (26-28, 18-25, 17-25), Saturday afternoon, in Southeastern's final home match of the 2009 season.

The Lady Fire battled the Lady Bees to the wire in game one, but came up just short, losing 28-26. SCAD's Courtney Shelton and Jen Drouin both had four kills apiece in game one.

Southeastern's Heather Johnson and Casey Jensen combined for five kills in game one, while Tara McSherley dished out five assists and made three digs.

SCAD overpowered Southeastern in game two and three to improve to 24-6 on the year and 15-2 in the Sun Conference. The Lady Bees' only two losses in the conference have come at the hands of conference leader Embry-Riddle University.

Shelton finished the match with nine kills, while Drouin finished with eight kills. Allison Regas dished out 27 assists and Arynn Nease led the defense with 13 digs.

Jensen finished with 10 kills and one block for Southeastern. Johnson added seven kills and 12 digs, while senior Stephanie Bower contributed 11 digs.

Southeastern is now 7-22 overall and 5-12 in the Sun Conference. The Lady Fire finishes its regular season with a trip to Daytona Beach, Wednesday, to play Embry-Riddle University.

Lady Fire Earns Victory Over Edward Waters, Honors Two Seniors

LAKELAND, Fla.--The Southeastern Lady Fire volleyball team defeated Edward Waters College 3-0, Friday evening, on Senior Night in the Southeastern Sportsplex.

Heather Johnson and Casey Jensen both had 10 kills apiece to lead the Lady Fire attack.

Senior Stephanie Bower led the defense with six digs, while Tara McSherley had an all around good game with four kills, seven assists, two digs, and two assisted blocks.

The Southeatern coaching staff also honored two Lady Fire seniors, Stephanie Bower and Kristen Ledlow, in the intermission between the second and third games.

Bower transferred from Southwestern Community College in Creston, Iowa, in 2008. She was named one of four team captains this season after leading the Lady Fire in digs with 722 a year ago. Her 722 digs is good for the fourth best season total in school history.

Bower was also named a Second Team All-Region player in 2008. She has only appeared in 44 games this year due to injury, but still has managed 107 digs this season.

She will graduate in the spring with a degree in English and Intercultural Studies.

Ledlow was also named a captain entering the 2009 season. This is her third year in the Lady Fire volleyball program after playing basketball her freshman year. She is still the all-time leader in three-pointers made in a single season at Southeastern. Ledlow set the mark of 48 three-point field goals back in 2007.

Coach Thomas honored Ledlow with the team's 'Most Valuable Teammate Award' last season for her leadership on and off the court. She totaled 185 kills, 61 digs, and 30 solo blocks in 2008.

In 2009, Ledlow has 104 kills and is second on the team with 29 blocks (12 solo and 17 assisted). She did not play in Friday night's game due to injury.

She will graduate in the spring of 2010 with a degree in communication/broadcast.

With the victory, Southeastern improves to 7-22 on the year and 5-11 within the Sun Conference.

St. Thomas Sweeps Season Series From Lady Fire
(10-24-09)

MIAMI, Fla.--Southeastern University lost a hard-fought match to St. Thomas University, Saturday afternoon, falling in four games (23-25, 23-25, 25-15, 24-26) and ending a run of the schedule that saw the Lady Fire play 10 straight games away from home.

St. Thomas managed to sweep the season series from the Lady Fire despite winning all three of its games in this match by just two points.

Heather Johnson led the Lady Fire offense with 19 kills while also adding 17 digs. Casey Jensen contributed nine kills, two service aces, two blocks, and five digs.

Freshman Tara McSherley dished out 16 assists and added 11 digs, while Samantha Pimental had 27 assists and eight digs.

Southeastern falls to 6-20 on the year and 4-11 within the Sun Conference. The Lady Fire will host Florida College, Tuesday night, at 7:00 p.m.

Lady Fire Snaps Losing Streak With Victory Over Florida Memorial

MIAMI, Fla.--The Southeastern University Lady Fire volleyball team broke its 11-game losing streak, Friday night, with a victory over Florida Memorial University in three games (25-13, 25-12, 25-20).

The Lady Fire used a balanced offensive attack as Casey Jensen led the team with nine kills. Heather Johnson added seven kills , and Tara McSherley contributed five kills, 16 assists, and eight digs.

Samantha Pimental dished out 16 assists and made seven digs. Senior Kristen Ledlow added six kills.

Southeastern's last victory came against Florida Memorial back on October 2 in Lakeland. Southeastern won
that match in three games as well.

The Lady Fire improves to 6-19 overall and moves to 4-10 within the Sun Conference.

Southeastern will end a brutal 10-game road trip, Saturday, with a match versus St. Thomas University. Game time is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

Defending NCCAA National Champions Sweep Lady Fire
(10-21-09)

CLEARWATER, Fla.--The defending NCCAA II National Champions, Clearwater Christian College, defeated Southeastern University in three games (25-14, 25-19, 25-15) Tuesday night, sweeping the season series from the Lady Fire.

The Lady Cougars have won the NCCAA II National Championship three consecutive seasons and are currently ranked No.1 in the country this year for NCCAA schools.

Casey Jensen led the Lady Fire with six kills, two aces, two digs, and two blocks. Heather Johnson had five kills and seven digs, while Erika Retzsch and Stephanie Bower added 14 digs and 15 digs respectively.

Clearwater Christian improves to 29-4 on the year, while Southeastern drops to 5-19 on the year.

Southeastern will travel to Miami, Thursday, to play Florida Memorial University at 7:00 p.m. The Lady Fire will end a current five game road trip Friday night versus St. Thomas University.

Southeastern will begin a three-game homestand starting next Tuesday night when it hosts Florida College at 7:00 p.m.

Webber Sweeps Season Series From Lady Fire
(10-19-09)

BABSON PARK, Fla.--Webber International University defeated the Southeastern volleyball team 3-0 (13-25, 16-25, 15-25) Saturday afternoon to sweep the season series from the Lady Fire this year.

Southeastern was led by Casey Jensen's 12 kills, while Erika Retzsch added four kills, two aces, and nine digs.

Tara McSherley and Samantha Pimental dished out 23 assists combined.

Webber's Kristina Reeves went 11-for-16 in kill attempts, leading the Lady Warriors on offense. Julianne Dougherty added 10 kills, while Kerri Romaniszyn chipped in with nine kills.

Trisha Belcher dished out 29 assists as Webber improves to 18-5 overall and 9-3 within the Sun Conference.

Webber defeated Southeastern 3-0 back on September 12 in Lakeland.

Southeastern is now 5-18 on the year and 3-10 within the Sun Conference. The Lady Fire will travel to play Clearwater Christian College, Tuesday night, at 7:00 p.m.

Southeastern Drops Another Tough Game To Warner University

LAKE WALES, Fla.--The Southeastern Lady Fire volleyball team dropped a heart-breaker to Warner University, Friday evening, losing in five games for the second time this season to its cross-county rival.

The Lady Fire lost 3-2 (25-23, 24-26, 25-18, 26-28, 9-15) dropping its 10th straight game of the season.

Heather Johnson and Casey Jensen led the offensive attack for the Lady Fire, knocking down 16 and 12 kills respectively. Johnson also added 10 digs.

Erika Retzsch had a great game overall with eight kills, four service aces, and 14 digs. Retzsch remains a top five leader in the nation for aces and is currently second in the conference with 66 aces on the year.

Tara McSherley dished out 29 assists while also chipping in with eight digs. Senior Kristen Ledlow added six kills and two solo blocks.

Warner's Jeni Cook had 14 kills and six digs, while Jennifer Daun contributed 13 kills. Aysha Nickels led all servers with 52 assists while also playing some good defense with nine digs.

With the victory Friday night, Warner sweeps the season series from the Lady Fire, having defeated Southeastern in five games back on September 11, in Lakeland.

Warner is 12-7 overall and 7-4 within the Sun Conference.

Southeastern falls to 5-18 overall and 3-10 within the Sun Conference.

Lady Fire Falls To Florida College
(10-14-09)

TEMPLE TERRACE, Fla.--The Southeastern women's volleyball team fell to Florida College, Tuesday night, in four games (25-21, 17-25, 24-26, 12-25).

Erika Retzsch had 11 kills and 17 digs, while Heather Johnson had 11 kills and 11 digs. Casey Jensen had 10 kills, seven digs, and three blocks.

Samantha Pimental dished out 33 assists, while Stephanie Bower made 15 digs. Christine Dell had three kills and four blocks.

Southeastern (5-16) lost its eighth straight game and will travel to play Warner University, Friday night, in Lake Wales, Fla. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

Faulkner Invitational Tournament Not Kind to Lady Fire
(10-12-09)

MONTGOMERY, Ala.--For the fourth straight year, Southeastern University participated in the Faulkner Invitational Tournament, but this this past weekend's tournament proved to be very hard on the Lady Fire as the team went 0-4 over the two days of competition.

On Friday, Southeastern opened up with Martin Methodist College (Pulaski, Tenn.) and dropped a heart-breaker in five games (18-25, 25-20, 17-25, 25-17, 13-15).

Heather Johnson had a season-high 22 kills and contributed nine digs in the contest. Samantha Pimental racked up a season-high 47 assists, while Erika Retzsch played a solid game defensively with 20 digs. Retzsch also added four service aces.

In game two, the Lady Fire fell in three games to Union University (Jackson, Tenn.) (20-25, 20-25, 28-30).

Johnson once again led the offense with 14 kills while adding a team-high 18 digs. Retzsch contributed 10 kills and 13 digs, while Pimental dished out 34 assists and added nine digs.

On Saturday, Southeastern opened with Freed-Hardeman University (Henderson, Tenn.) and fell in three games (15-25, 17-25, 17-25).

Offensively, the Lady Fire had a dismal 11% attacking perecentage. Johnson was the only Southeastern player in double-figures for kills with 10. Casey Jensen added eight kills, while Joanna Rhodes led Southeastern with 10 digs.

The Lady Fire closed out the tournament versus Brenau University (Gainesville, Ga.) and lost in four games (18-25, 25-23, 21-25, 20-25).

Jensen broke out in the game with 17 kills, while Johnson added 12 kills and 12 digs. Pimental stayed hot, dishing out 45 assists while adding eight digs and two aces. Lyndy Armstrong and Stephanie Bower anchored the defense with 13 and 10 digs respectively.

Southeastern has now dropped seven straight games and falls to 5-15 on the year.

The Lady Fire travels to Temple Terrace, Fla., on Tuesday evening to play Florida College. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

Conference Leader Embry-Riddle University Defeats Lady Fire
(10-08-09)

LAKELAND, Fla.--The Southeastern University Lady Fire volleyball team dropped its third straight game, Wednesday night, this time falling to Sun Conference leader Embry-Riddle University in three games (17-25, 18-25, 14-25).

Embry-Riddle's Abby Hall led all players with 11 kills, while Julia Frassetto added 14 digs. Adriana Vazquez had 17 assists and three digs.

Southeastern was led by Heather Johnson's eight kills and seven digs. Casey Jensen added seven kills and six digs, while Samantha Pimental had 15 assists.

Embry-Riddle remains perfect in the Sun Conference with an 11-0 record, and the team sports a 14-4 record overall.

The Lady Fire started a four-game home stand this past Friday night when they defeated Florida Memorial University in three games. But Southeastern came out of the home stand going 1-3 as they lost two games on Saturday before falling to Embry-Riddle University.

Southeastern (5-11, 3-8) will travel to Montgomery, Alabama, this weekend for the Faulkner University Invitational Tournament.

Sailfish Sweep Season Series From Lady Fire
(10-03-09)

LAKELAND, Fla.--The Southeastern University Lady Fire volleyball team fell to Palm Beach Atlantic University in three games (16-25, 9-25, 20-25), Saturday afternoon, as the Sailfish swept their season series from the Lady Fire.

The Lady Fire opened the day with a Sun Conference loss to St. Thomas University before taking the court versus Palm Beach Atlantic.

The Lady Sailfish broke open a close contest in game one, outscoring the Lady Fire 11-2 down the stretch to set the tone for the rest of the match.

Palm Beach Atlantic's Liz Fugate led all attackers with 10 kills, while setter Jessica Way dished out 25 assists over the match.

Southeastern was led by Casey Jensen's seven kills and Tara McSherley's 10 assists and 10 digs.

Southeastern is now 5-10 on the year. The Lady Fire will host Embry-Riddle University, Wednesday night, at 7:00 p.m.

Box Score

Southeastern Falls To St. Thomas In Three Games

LAKELAND, Fla.--The Southeastern University volleyball team fell to St. Thomas University in three games, Saturday afternoon, in the two schools' first ever Sun Conference meeting.

St. Thomas rallied from a six-point deficit in game one to win 26-24 behind Slavica Stefanovic's six kills. Fernanda Neves also had 12 assists in the game.

Southeastern's Casey Jensen had five kills in the game, while Erika Retzsch had three aces.

The Bobcats ran away with game two, 25-16, as Stefanovic had five kills and Neves added seven assists.

St. Thomas then finished off the sweep by defeating the Lady Fire, 25-18, in game three. Once again Stefanovic and Neves had huge games, this time Stefanovic with seven kills and Neves with 13 assists.

Stefanovic finished the match with 18 kills, while Neves finished with 32 assists. Defensively, St. Thomas's Angie Ardilles finished the match with 19 digs.

Jensen finished with 10 kills, while Heather Johnson added six kills. Retzsch finished with six aces and eight digs, while Tara McSherley added 13 digs and nine assists. Samantha Pimental led the Lady Fire in assists with 14.

Box Score

Southeastern is now 5-9 on the year and falls to 3-7 in the Sun Conference.

Southeastern Cruises To Victory Over Florida Memorial
(10-02-09)

LAKELAND, Fla.--Southeastern University defeated Florida Memorial University in three games Friday night to win its first Sun Conference home game of the season (25-20, 25-16, 25-14).

The Lady Fire won game one, 25-20, behind Erika Retzsch's five service aces. Kristen Ledlow, Samantha Pimental, and Heather Johnson each had two kills in the game.

In game two, Southeastern broke open a close game by outscoring Florida Memorial 15-7 down the stretch to win the game 25-16. Casey Jensen, Lindsay Short, and Ledlow each had three kills in the game, while Tara McSherley had five assists and two digs.

In game three, McSherley led the Lady Fire defense with five digs. Christine Dell and Jensen each had four kills, while Ruthie Glover had two kills and two digs to help put together a 25-14 victory.

McSherley finished the game with 11 assists and 12 digs, while Jensen led all attackers with eight kills. Retzsch finished with four kills, eight aces, and nine digs, while Ledlow and Short both finished with five kills apiece.

Southeastern improves to 5-8 overall and 3-6 in the Sun Conference.

The Lady Fire will host St. Thomas University, Saturday, at 1:00 p.m., followed by a match versus Palm Beach Atlantic University at 3:00 p.m.

Box Score

SCAD Beats Lady Fire In Hard Fought Game
(09-28-09)

SAVANNAH, Ga.--The Southeastern Lady Fire volleyball team fell in three games to Savannah College of Art & Design, Saturday, in the first ever meeting between the two schools (21-25, 22-25, 12-25).

SCAD's Courtney Shelton led all hitters with 11 kills, while Allison Regas led both teams in assists with 34.

Southeastern's Casey Jensen led the team with six kills, while Lyndy Armstrong and Samantha Pimental both had 11 digs apiece.

The SCAD defense was the difference in the game as the Lady Bees held Southeastern to a mere 5% attacking percentage. Offensively, the Lady Bees counterattacked with a 34% attacking percentage, banging home 40 total kills in the match.

Southeastern is now 4-8 on the year and 2-6 within the Sun Conference while SCAD improves to 14-5 and 5-1 within the conference.

Southeatern will host Florida Memorial University, Friday night, at 7:00 p.m.

Lady Fire Wins First Ever Sun Conference Game
(09-21-09)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.--The Southeastern University women's volleyball team earned its first ever Sun Conference victory, Saturday afternoon, as the team defeated Northwood University in four games (25-18, 25-21, 21-25, 25-21).

The victory marked Southeastern University's first ever Sun Conference win in any sport.

The Lady Fire was led by Casey Jensen's 13 kills, while Erika Retzsch had a huge day serving with 11 aces. Retzsch also finished with eight kills.

Tara McSherley led the Lady Fire defense with 13 digs and added 23 assists as well. Heather Johnson contributed 10 kills and five digs.

"Erika's serving and Tara's defense really made the difference in this game," said Head Coach Terry Thomas. "Winning and losing, it is all in your mind."

Southeastern (3-8, 1-5) had dropped its last eight games after starting the season 2-0. The Lady Fire, which joined the Sun Conference this season, also started the year 0-5 within the conference despite playing some very close games.

The Lady Fire will travel to Jacksonville, Fla., to battle Edward Waters College in a Sun Conference matchup next Friday evening.

Fire Drops Game To Clearwater Christian
(09-18-09)

LAKELAND, Fla.--The Southeastern University Lady Fire volleyball team fell to defending NCCAA II National Champions, Clearwater Christian College, Tuesday night in three straight games.

Southeastern fell 17-25, 23-25, 19-25 and dropped its seventh straight game of the season.

Casey Jensen led the Lady Fire with 10 kills, while Erika Retzsch added seven kills and 13 digs.

Samantha Pimental added 14 assists and seven digs, and Tara McSherley chipped in with eight assists and 12 digs.

Southeastern will play its next four games away from home, starting Friday night versus Ave Maria University at 7:00 p.m. The Lady Fire travels to West Palm Beach on Saturday to play Northwood University at 2:00 p.m.

Southeastern Falls To Webber In Sun Conference Match
(09-12-09)

LAKELAND, Fla.--Southeastern University fell to Webber International University in three games, Saturday afternoon, and dropped its sixth straight game of the season.

After falling in game one, 25-14, Southeastern battled back in game two to take a 19-13 advantage. But the Lady Warriors rallied and tied the score at 23-23 and eventually went on to win the game, 29-27.

In game three, Webber International grabbed an early 15-10 advantage and never allowed the Lady Fire to gain any momentum. Webber eventually went on to win game three 25-14 and improves to 5-3 on the season.

Webber's Kristina Reeves went 9-for-9 on kill attempts, while Julianne Dougherty finished with six kills and 11 digs.

Southeastern was led by Casey Jensen's eight kills, two digs, and two blocks. Heather Johnson added seven kills and 10 digs.

Southeastern is now 2-6 on the year and 0-4 within the Sun Conference. The Lady Fire will host Clearwater Christian College, Tuesday night, at 7:00 p.m.

Southeastern Falls To Webber In Sun Conference Match

LAKELAND, Fla.--Southeastern University fell to Webber International University in three games, Saturday afternoon, and dropped its sixth straight game of the season.

After falling in game one, 25-14, Southeastern battled back in game two to take a 19-13 advantage. But the Lady Warriors rallied back and tied the score at 23-23 and eventually went on to win the game, 29-27.

In game three, Webber International grabbed an early 15-10 advantage and never allowed the Lady Fire to gain any momentum. Webber eventually went on to win game three 25-14, improving to 5-3 on the season.

Webber's Kristina Reeves went 9-for-9 on kill attempts, while Julianne Dougherty finished with six kills and 11 digs.

Southeastern was led by Casey Jensen's eight kills, two digs, and two blocks. Heather Johnson added seven kills and 10 digs.

Southeastern is now 2-6 on the year and 0-4 within the Sun Conference. The Lady Fire will host Clearwater Christian College, Tuesday night, at 7:00 p.m.

Lady Fire Drops Heartbreaker to Warner, 3-2
(09-11-09)

LAKELAND, Fla.--The Southeastern University Lady Fire volleyball team fell to Warner University in five games, Friday night, as Southeastern has lost five straight games after starting the season 2-0.

The Fire fell in game one 25-23 despite Casey Jensen and Heather Johnson combining for 13 kills in the game. With the game tied, 23-23, Warner grabbed the win by scoring two straight points after a Southeastern timeout.

In game two, Southeastern took a 24-23 lead, but the Lady Royals rallied back to take a 26-25 advantage Warner had two opportunities to win the game, but the Lady Fire held off both game points and charged back to win it 29-27.

Game three went all Southeastern's way as the team scored nine consecutive points in the game to take an early 11-6 advantage. Warner would cut the score to 15-12, but the Lady Fire closed out the match on a 10-6 run to win 25-18. Erika Retzsch had four digs, while Johnson added four kills and four digs in the game.

The Lady Royals returned the favor in game four, defeating Southeastern 25-18. Southeastern had a 13-10 lead, but Warner scored six straight points and closed out the game on a 15-5 run.

After seizing the momentum in game four, the Lady Royals poured it on in game five, going 8-for-12 on attacks in the final game. Warner eventually went on to win the game 15-7.

Warner's Jenni Cook had 16 kills and 13 digs.

Southeastern was led by Johnson's 17 kills and 20 digs. Retzsch finished with 13 kills and 22 digs, while Jensen finished with 16 kills.

Samantha Pimental had a career high 43 assists and added 20 digs. Lyndy Armstrong led both teams with 25 digs.

Southeastern is now 2-5 on the year and will host Webber International, Saturday, at 2:00 p.m.

Lady Fire Falls To Pasco-Hernando Community College
(09-09-09)

NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla.--The Southeastern Lady Fire volleyball team lost to a good Pasco-Hernando Community College team, Tuesday night, falling in three straight games (16-25, 16-25, 24-26).

Heather Johnson led the Lady Fire with nine kills and 10 digs, while Erika Retzsch added two kills and 10 digs.

Samantha Pimental dished out 12 assists and six digs, while Tara McSherley added nine assists and four digs.

The loss on Tuesday night is the Lady Fire's fourth straight, but Southeastern will look to rebound versus Warner University Friday night at home, starting at 7:00 p.m.

Southeastern (2-4) will host Webber International on Saturay at 2:00 p.m.

Pasco-Hernando improves to 3-2 on the season.

Northwood Earns First Win of Season at Lady Fire Expense
(09-01-09)

LAKELAND, Fla.--The Southeastern University women's volleyball team dropped its third straight game Tuesday night, this time falling to Northwood University in four games.

The Lady Fire set the tone early on, building a 21-17 lead in game one, but Northwood came storming back to cut the lead to 24-23. However, on the next point Southeastern's Heather Johnson ripped a shot past Northwood's defenders to give Southeastern a 25-23 victory.

In game two, Northwood won seven straight points to grab an early 8-2 lead and would never trail in the game, winning 25-16. Northwood's Rebecka Ohman had four kills and two digs in game two.

Game three was more of the same for the Lady Seahawks as they won five straight points early to take an 8-1 advantage. Melodee Pryce, Megan Jackson, and Ohman all had three kills apiece and held off a late Lady Fire surge, 25-20. Rachel Olds had a great defensive game for Northwood with 11 digs in game three.

Southeastern built a 14-10 lead in game four thanks to Casey Jensen and junior college transfer Samantha Pimental. Both players had three kills apiece in the game, while Pimental dished out nine assists.

After falling behind 17-15, the Lady Fire scored five straight points to build a 20-17 lead. But Northwood then responded with three straight points to tie the game at 20-20.

The Lady Seahawks then outscored Southeastern 5-3 down the stretch to win the game, 25-23. Ohman had 10 digs and four kills in game four and finished the match with 16 kills and 15 digs.

Olds finished her day with 28 digs, while Jackson had 11 kills.

Southeastern was led by Heather Johnson's 22 digs and 13 kills. Erika Retzsch had 16 digs, six kills, and five aces. Pimental had 17 assists in the match.

Northwood came into the game with an 0-4 record and an 0-3 Sun Conference record.

Southeastern is now 2-3 on the year and 0-2 in the Sun Conference.

Lady Fire Drops Second Straight Game
(08-31-09)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.--The Southeastern University women's volleyball team dropped its second straight game Saturday, this time falling to NCAA D-II Palm Beach Atlantic, 3-1, despite winning the first game of the match, 25-21.

After losing game one, the Lady Sailfish came fighting back to win game two 25-18 and then take game three 25-17. The deciding game went back and forth but Palm Beach Atlantic won a close one, 27-25.

The story of the game for the Lady Fire was its offensive attack. In game one, the Lady Fire managed 11 kills compared to Palm Beach Atlantic's eight kills, but in games two and three the Lady Fire totaled just 12 kills combined. The Lady Sailfish took advantage of the lack of offense and tallied 28 kills overall in those two games.

Southeastern freshman Tara McSherley continued to shine as she led the Lady Fire with 27 assists and added 16 digs. Lyndy Armstrong led the team in digs with 19, while Heather Johnson added 17 digs. Erika Retzsch chipped in with 14 digs, while Lindsay Short added 13 digs.

Johnson also led the Lady Fire offensive attack with 14 kills, while Retzsch added seven kills overall. Casey Jensen added eight kills and four solo blocks.

Southeastern is now 2-2 on the year and will host Northwood University, Tuesday night, at 7:00 p.m.

Southeastern Plays First Ever Sun Conference Game; Falls To Ave Maria, 3-1
(08-28-09)

LAKELAND, Fla.--The Southeastern University women's volleyball team played a historic game Friday night versus Ave Maria University in the Southeastern Sportsplex. The game was Southeastern's first ever Sun Conference competition in any sport, but the result was not what the Lady Fire was looking for.

Southeastern fell 3-1(22-25, 25-17, 27-29, 23-25) despite having many opportunities to take control of the match.

After dropping game one, the Lady Fire stormed back in game two thanks to Casey Jensen, who had three kills and three digs in the game. Jensen finished the match with 12 kills, five digs, and five solo blocks.

In game three, Southeastern had built a 24-21 lead, but the Gyrenes battled back to tie the score at 25-25. Southeastern fought off three match points, but could not regain the momentum and eventually dropped the match 27-29.

Freshman Tara McSherley had six digs and six assists in game three, while Lyndy Armstrong had five digs.
Ave Maria made another great comeback in game four after trailing 21-17. The Gyrenes outscored the Lady Fire 8-2 down the stretch to win the game and the match overall.

McSherley had 11 digs and nine assists in game four and finished the day with 36 assists and 25 digs.

Junior Heather Johnson also had a big game, totaling 11 kills and 11 digs, while Erika Retzsch finished the day with nine kills and nine digs.

Southeastern is now 2-1 on the year and 0-1 in the Sun Conference. On Saturday, the Lady Fire travels to West Palm Beach to play NCAA D-II Palm Beach Atlantic University. Game time is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.

Lady Fire Opens Season Up With Two Victories
(08-22-09)

KISSIMMEE, Fla.--The Southeastern University women's volleyball team opened its 2009 season with an easy victory over Florida Christian College, winning in three straight games, 25-6, 25-5, 25-11.

The Lady Fire followed up that victory with an easy three-game sweep of the College of the Bahamas, winning 25-5, 25-15, 25-15

Versus Florida Christian College, Southeastern junior Heather Johnson led the Lady Fire with six kills and 10 digs. Freshman Tara McSherley dished out 22 assists over the three games.

Erika Retzsch added four kills and five digs, while junior college transfer Lyndy Armstrong also added five digs.

Against the College of the Bahamas, Lady Fire senior Kristen Ledlow led the offensive attack by going 7-for-7 on kill attempts, while McSherley led Southeastern with 18 assists. McSherley had 40 assists in the two matches.

Ruthie Glover, Armstrong, Lindsay Short, and McSherley all had four digs apiece. Junior Casey Jensen went 3-for-3 on kill attempts and also added three digs.

Southeastern (2-0) will host its first ever Sun Conference game this upcoming Friday night versus Ave Maria University for its season home opener. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

Fire Holds On to Down Southwestern College
(11-14-08)

Omaha, Nebr.--In an exciting second match, the Southeastern Fire stood firm to win its match against #10 seed Southwestern College. The match went five games, with the Lady Fire winning the first, second, and fifth games.

Junior Stephanie Bower had 14 digs during this match, and Joanna Rhodes and Lindsay Short had a combined total of 34 assists. Casey Jensen led the way with 15 kills, and Erika Retzch led the Fire with three serving aces. Also, Kristen Ledlow had four solo blocks against Southwestern.

"We need to rest and play hard tomorrow," Coach Terry Thomas says.

The Fire will play the #2 seed, Lincoln Christian College (2-0 in the tournament), at 10 a.m., and the Fire will play #6 seed Kentucky Christian (0-2 in tournament) at 2 p.m.

The Fire Loses to Manhattan Christian College
(11-13-08)

Omaha, Nebr.--In the opening match of the NCCAA Division II national volleyball tournament, the Fire lost in five games to the #3 seed, Manhattan Christian College.

The Fire won the first game, but the Crusaders battled back to win games two and three. Then, the Fire made an amazing comeback in game four. Finally, in an extremely intense game five, the Fire led the majority of the game. With the score 15-14, however, the Fire made two errors that cost the team the game and the match.

Casey Jensen, named All-American First Team, led the Fire with 25 kills. Heather Johnson, also an All-American, racked up 25 digs and 18 kills. Joanna Rhodes, who has stepped up recently to be one of the better setters for the Fire, had 28 assists in her first national appearance.

Next up for the Fire: #10 seed Southwestern College

Jensen, Johnson Named All-American First Team players

OMAHA, Neb.--Lady Fire volleyball players Casey Jensen and Heather Johnson were both named NCCAA II All-American First Team players on Wednesday as the Lady Fire prepares for the 2008 NCCAA II national tournament at Grace University.

Southeastern has had nine NCCAA All-Americans since the 2004 season. Jensen was the first Southeastern volleyball player to be named an All-American First Team player as a freshman and now as a sophomore too.

Johnson, who is also a sophomore, was an All-Regional second team player in 2007. But this season she pushed up her numbers even more, and many coaches have taken notice.

Johnson had 400 kills, 414 digs, 56 assists, and 49 aces in the 2008 regular season.

Jensen once again led the team with a 22.92 attacking percentage and had 362 kills and 66 solo blocks.

Southeastern will open the 2008 NCCAA II national tournament today at 11:00 a.m. versus No. 3 seed Manhattan Christian College.

Lady Fire Ready For National Tournament
(11-12-08)

There is good news and bad news for the Southeastern University women's volleyball team as they prepare for the 2008 NCCAA II National Tournament this week in Omaha, Nebraska. The news is one and the same: CLEARWATER CHRISTIAN COLLEGE!

First, the bad news.

The Lady Fire need not look any further than to its South Region rival to see what it will take to win an NCCAA II national championship this week. Clearwater Christian has won six NCCAA II national championships in the past 20 years, including the 2006 & 2007 national championships.

Southeastern went 0-4 versus Clearwater Christian in the regular season and has not beaten the Lady Cougars since October 29, 2005.

Clearwater Christian College is also the good news for Southeastern. The Lady Fire have played the best all year, so there will be no surprises this week at nationals. The team knows its adversary's strengths and weaknesses. Not that there are not other talented teams in this year's national tournament field, but the reality is that if Southeastern can defeat Clearwater Christian College, it has a chance at making history.

And Southeastern has all the experience and talent needed in order to make history this week in Nebraska. Southeastern finished third in the nation in last year's national tournament, losing to host school Grace University in the national semi-finals.

The Lady Fire also has great weapons in 2007 First Team All-American Casey Jensen and 2008 First Team All-Region Heather Johnson.

These two are very difficult match-ups for opposing teams because both can hammer the ball and really carry an offense when they get hot.

Lastly, has any team in the country played the schedule that Southeastern has? The Lady Fire is currently the No. 7 seed in the national tournament, but with a 28-19 overall record. That record includes 23 contests versus teams outside the NCCAA II, making the Lady Fire a very dangerous team this weekend.

The Lady Fire open the national tournament up, Thursday, versus No. 3 seed Manhattan Christian College. Game time is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. Southeastern will then go on to play No. 10 seed Southwestern College at 5:00 p.m. as the first two days of the national tournament is a pool play format.

Lady Fire Finishes Second In Region; Johnson, Jensen Named First Team All-Region
(11-03-08)

ATLANTA--The Southeastern University women's volleyball team fought hard this weekend in the annual South Region tournament and finished second for the third consecutive season.

SEU opened up the tournament Friday against host school Atlanta Christian College and won in three games: 25-6, 25-3, 25-13.

Kristen Ledlow led the Lady Fire with nine kills while Casey Jensen added eight kills. Heather Johnson had seven aces and seven digs while Joanna Rhodes led the team with 25 assists.

The Lady Fire then took on Toccoa Falls College and won in three games again: 25-22, 25-14, 25-20.

Johnson had 15 kills and 11 digs while Jensen chipped in with 13 kills. Rhodes had a career-high 37 assists in the game.

In game three, Southeastern ran into Clearwater Christian College, the defending NCCAA II national champion and currently the No. 1-ranked team in the country. SEU fell in three straight games: 14-25, 19-25, 20-25.

Johnson once again led the Lady Fire with 12 kills and 12 digs. Rhodes had another solid game with 29 assists.

With the loss, SEU was forced to play Toccoa Falls College again, this time the winner would advance to play Clearwater Christian in the South Region championship game. SEU defeated TFC in three games: 25-13, 25-17, 25-8.

Erika Retzsch led SEU with 16 kills and seven digs while Rhodes set a new career-high in assists with 39. Johnson added 11 kills and six aces.

The victory set up a rematch with Clearwater Christian, and SEU fell in three games once again: 11-25, 11-25, 12-25.

Johnson had 14 digs in the championship game, and Jensen led the Lady Fire offense with nine kills.

Southeastern (27-18) will now have to wait to see whether it will recieve an at-large bid to the 2008 NCCAA II national tournament, November 13-15, in Omaha, Nebrska.

Sophomore Johnson was named First Team All-Region for the Lady Fire while Casey Jensen was named First Team All-Region for the second consecutive season.

Stephanie Bower was named Second Team All-Region while senior Brittany Braly was named South Region Honorable Mention.

Lady Fire Defeats Trinity Baptist in Three Games; prepares for Upcoming South Region Tournament as No. 2 seed
(10-29-08)

JACKSONVILLE--The Southeastern University women's volleyball team defeated Trinity Baptist College in three games, Tuesday night, winning 25-23, 25-14, 25-14 as it prepares for the South Region tournament this weekend in Atlanta, Georgia.

Casey Jensen and Heather Johnson both had nine kills and two blocks apiece. Johnson added 12 digs while Erika Retzsch chipped in with eight kills and 12 digs for the Lady Fire.

Joanna Rhodes had a team-high 30 assists for the game.

Southeastern will be the No. 2 seed in this weekend's South Region tournament. SEU has a 24-16 overall record and a 13-2 South Region record.

Southeastern opens up the tournament Friday at 9:30 a.m. versus the tournament's No. 7 seed team.

The Lady Fire last won the South Region tournament back in 2005.

Fire Takes Two Games This Weekend
(10-20-08)

LAKELAND--The Southeastern Lady Fire volleyball team swept a tri-match versus Atlanta Christian College and Florida Christian College, Friday, improving to 23-14 on the season.

SEU opened up the tri-match versus Atlanta Christian College and won in three games(25-2, 25-8, 25-6).

Senior Brittany Braly had seven assists and seven digs while Heather Johnson had eight kills in the game. Kristen Ledlow had five kills and 12 aces in the match.

The Lady Fire then defeated Florida Christian College for the third time this year in three games(25-7, 25-14, 25-13).

Johnson and Ledlow had eight and seven kills, respectively. Lindsay Short and Christine Dell both had six kills apiece.

Rebecca Alma had 31 assists in the contest as Southeastern improves to 12-2 in the South Region.

The Lady Fire will travel to Miami on Wednesday to battle Florida Memorial University. Game time is 7:00 p.m.

Southeastern Defeats Defending USCAA National Champion Florida College
(10-16-08)

LAKELAND--The Southeastern Lady Fire volleyball team earned a huge victory Tuesday night, defeating defending USCAA National Champion Florida College in five games (25-23, 18-25, 24-26, 25-14, 15-12).

It marks Southeastern's first victory over Florida College in school history according to archive records going back to 2001.

The Lady Fire got a huge game from sophomore Heather Johnson. Johnson had a team-high 15 kills along with 14 digs to help the Lady Fire pull the upset. Casey Jensen had 13 kills, while Erika Retzsch added seven kills and 16 digs for the game.

Freshman Rebecca Alma had one of her biggest offensive games of the season, dishing out 42 assists, but also played strong defense, chipping in with 12 digs.

Stephanie Bower contributed 21 digs in the game as SEU totaled 80 team digs.

Florida College has won the USCAA National Championship the past three seasons and had already defeated Southeastern in four games back in September.

Southeastern is now 21-13 on the year and will travel to Clearwater Christian College, Thursday, to battle the defending NCCAA II National Champions on their home court.

Clearwater Christian currently has a 10-game winning streak over Southeastern, dating back to October 29, 2005.

Lady Fire Wins Two Games In Faulkner Tournament; Jensen Honored

MONTGOMERY, Ala.--The Southeastern Lady Fire volleyball team went 2-3 against some tough competition in a tournament hosted by Faulkner University this past weekend.

The Lady Fire opened the tournament up with NAIA Freed-Hardeman University (Henderson, Tenn.) and lost in three straight games (13-25, 16-25, 18-25).

Casey Jensen had eight kills and two blocks, while Stephanie Bower led the Lady Fire defense with 13 digs.

In game two of the tournament, Southeastern fell to Columbia College (Columbia, S.C.) in four games (25-21, 20-24, 14-25, 19-25).

Jensen once again led the Lady Fire offense with 13 kills. Heather Johnson had 12 kills and 11 digs, while Bower chipped in with 20 digs for the match. Rebecca Alma had a game-high 26 assists.

After dropping those first two games of the tournament, the Lady Fire regrouped and opened up play on Saturday with a victory over Belhaven College (Jackson, Miss.) in three games (25-18, 25-18, 25-21).

Johnson had 13 kills and 13 digs, while Alma had another big game with 27 assists. Christine Dell had 10 kills in the match off the bench.

Following that victory, the Lady Fire dropped two close games to Brenau University (Gainesville, Ga.) and eventually lost the match in three games (26-28, 25-27, 18-25) to fall to 1-3 in the tournament.

Erika Retzsch had 10 kills, while Jensen and Johson both added 11 kills. Alma dished out a tournament-high 40 assists in the loss.

Closing out the tournament, the Lady Fire battled Martin Methodist College (Pulaski, Tenn.) and won in four games (25-21, 22-25, 25-12, 25-23), closing out the tournament with a 2-3 record.

In the victory, Johnson had a team-high 15 kills and 17 digs. Jensen added 14 kills, while Retzsch had a huge game with 10 kills and 12 digs.

It was Southeastern's best defensive game of the tournament. The Lady Fire had 71 total digs total for the game, including 14 from Bower and 10 from Brittany Braly.

Jensen was named to the Silver Division's All-Tournament Team.

Southeastern is now 20-13 on the year.

Lady Fire Defeats Warner Southern
(10-09-08)

LAKELAND--The Southeastern Lady Fire volleyball team defeated Warner Southern College, Tuesday, in four games (25-18, 25-22, 16-25, 25-21).

Heather Johnson had 15 kills and nine digs, while Erika Retzsch added 12 kills and nine digs.

Casey Jensen chipped in with 12 kills, while Rebecca Alma had a huge game, dishing out 34 assists and adding 12 digs.

Stephanie Bower led the Lady Fire defense with 19 digs, and Brittany Braly contributed 14 more, as Southeastern finished with 64 digs overall for the game.

Southeastern is now 18-10 on the year and will play this weekend in a tournament hosted by Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama.

Lady Fire Splits In Tri-Match

WINTER HAVEN--The Southeastern Lady Fire volleyball team split in a tri-match with Florida Christian College and Polk Community College this past Saturday.

The Fire defeated Florida Christian College in three games (25-14, 25-16, 25-11).

Brittany Braly had four aces, three kills, and six digs in the game. Rebecca Alma had 10 assists and four kills.

Southeastern was then swept in three games by PCC (14-25, 21-25, 20-25).

Heather Johnson had eight kills and 14 digs, while Stephanie Bower had 23 digs.

Southeastern is now 17-10 on the year.

The (Lakeland, Fla.) Ledger: Former Southeastern volleyball players meet up again as coaches
(10-08-08)

LAKELAND--Audrey Gilbert, Allie Henderson, and Brooke Braly were all roommates when they attended Southeastern University.

On Monday night, they were sharing a room again, only this time it was the gym at Lakeland Christian School, and Henderson was on the opposing sideline to Gilbert and Braly. (Click here for more.)

SEU Falls To Webber International In Three Games
(09-30-08)

LAKE WALES--The Southeastern Lady Fire volleyball team fell to future Sun Conference rival Webber International University, Monday night in three games(14-25, 21-25, 23-25).

It was SEU's second loss of the season to Webber International.

Casey Jensen led the Lady Fire attack with nine kills, four digs, and two aces.

Stephanie Bower and Brittany Braly both had 10 digs apiece while Jessica Sparks dished out 23 assists.

Southeastern is now 15-9 on the year and will host Ave Maria University on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m.

SEU defeated Ave Maria in five games back on August 26 in Ave Maria, Florida.

Lady Fire Wins Two Games In Tri-Match

LAKELAND--The Southeastern Lady Fire volleyball team defeated both Trinity College and Pensacola Christian College on Saturday at home in a tri-match.

SEU opened up with Pensacola Christian and won in three games(25-9, 25-17, 27-25). It was Southeastern's second victory over PCC this season. SEU defeated PCC back on September 19 in three games as well(25-22, 25-22, 25-15).

Heather Johnson led the Lady Fire offense with 34 attacks and registered 11 kills. Casey Jensen added nine kills on 19 attacks.

Defensively, Stephanie Bower had 11 digs while Jessica Sparks had six blocks. Sparks also added 30 assists and three aces.

In game two, SEU defeated Trinity College for the second time this season in three games(25-12, 25-15, 25-15).

Jensen led the Lady Fire with 13 kills, three aces, two digs, and two blocks.

Bowers added 13 digs while senior Brittany Braly chipped in with 10 digs.

Sparks had 19 assists while Rebecca Alma added 16 assists.

Southeastern is now 15-8 on the season.

SEU Breezes Past Florida Christian College
(09-24-08)

KISSIMMEE--The Southeastern Lady Fire volleyball team defeated Florida Christian College in three games Monday night (25-8, 25-12, 25-11).

Casey Jensen and Heather Johnson both had eight kills apiece while Johnson also added 17 digs.

Stephanie Bower had 25 digs, and Brittany Braly added 15 digs.

Rebecca Alma had 12 assists while Jessica Sparks chipped in with eight assists.

Southeastern is now 13-6 on the year and will travel to Daytona Beach on Friday to battle Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Lady Fire Wins Three Games In Pensacola Christian Tournament

PENSACOLA--The Southeastern University Lady Fire volleyball team earned three victories this past weekend in the 2008 Pensacola Christian College Invitational Tournament.

SEU opened up the tournament, defeating Judson College in four games (25-17, 25-16, 20-25, 25-9).

Casey Jensen led the Lady Fire with 12 kills and six digs. Heather Johnson added nine kills and five digs.

Kristin Hamilton led the Lady Fire defense with 12 digs while Rebecca Alma dished out 26 assists.

Southeastern then came back and defeated Trinity Baptist College in three games (25-17, 25-8, 25-5) for the second time this season.

Erika Retzsch led SEU with eight kills while Jensen added seven kills. Hamilton had four aces in the match while Alma contributed 27 assists.

Southeastern then battled host school Pensacola Christian College and won in three games (25-22, 25-22, 25-15).

Jensen once again led the offense with nine kills. Retzsch added six kills and 10 digs while Johnson pitched in with seven kills and nine digs. Alma once again had 27 assists.

In the tournament championship game, SEU fell to Florida College for the second time this season, this time falling in five games (26-28, 25-23, 25-20, 21-25, 5-15).

Jensen pounded 16 kills, and Johson added 15 kills and 13 digs.

Stephanie Bower led the defense with 25 digs, and Alma, for the third straight game, had 27 assists.

Southeastern is now 12-6 on the season.

Lady Fire Earns First Victory of 2008 Season
(08-27-08)

AVE MARIA, Fla.--The Southeastern University women's volleyball team earned its first victory of the 2008 season, but it was not easy by any means.

The Fire played NAIA newcomer Ave Maria University and won in five games (25-19, 24-26, 12-25, 25-17, 15-9) Wednesday evening to push Southeastern's early-season record to 1-1.

For the second straight game, Heather Johnson led the Lady Fire offense with 16 kills. Brittany Braly added six kills and six digs.

Stephanie Bower led the Lady Fire defense with 18 digs for the match. Kristen Ledlow had seven solo blocks and five kills on the day.

Southeastern will travel to Atlanta to battle NCCAA II South Region foe Atlanta Christian College, Saturday. Game time is 5:00 p.m.

Lady Fire Drops Season-Opener To Embry-Riddle
(08-25-08)

LAKELAND--The Southeastern women's volleyball team fell to Embry-Riddle University in three games (30-11, 30-17, 30-18), Saturday, in the Lady Fire's 2008 season-opener.

Newcomer Stephanie Bower had 19 digs on the day, while sophomore Heather Johnson led the Lady Fire attack with 10 kills. 2007 All-American Casey Jensen had six kills on the day.

Embry-Riddle freshman Abby Hall led the Lady Eagles with 19 kills and four aces.

Southeastern (0-1) will travel to play Ave Maria University on Tuesday, starting at 7:00 p.m.

SEU will be on the road for its next five games. The Lady Fire's next home game will be a tri-match, September 12, versus Florida Memorial University and Faulkner University.

NATIONALS: SEU Advances to NCCAA Final Four
(11-09-07)

OMAHA, NE--The Southeastern University women's volleyball team advanced to the NCCAA II National Semifinals, Friday, for the first time since 2004.

Southeastern took care of business early on Friday by defeating No. 9 seed Kentucky Christian in three games (30-20, 30-14, 30-18).

Stacy Troyer led SEU in two categories with 33 assists and six aces.

Casey Jensen led the Lady Fire in kills with 13, while Sarah Maus had 14 digs and Brittany Braly added 11 digs.

Southeastern (25-24) then fell to defending national champions Clearwater Christian, but advanced to the Final Four by finishing second in its pool and will play at 11:30 a.m. (EST) in the semifinals on Saturday.

Southeastern's best finish in school history was back in 2004 when the Lady Fire finished third in nationals.

The NCCAA II National Championship game is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.

NATIONALS: SEU Falls To Lincoln Christian In Game Two
(11-08-07)

OMAHA, NE--After winning game one on Thursday, the Southeastern University women's volleyball team fell in five games to No. 5 seed Lincoln Christian (30-26, 20-30, 30-14, 27-30, 13-15).

SEU was led by Casey Jensen's 24 kills, while Sarah Maus finished with 26 digs.

The Lady Fire will play No. 9 seed Kentucky Christian at 1:00 p.m. (EST) on Friday and then face defending national champions Clearwater Christian at 5:00 p.m.

Only the top two teams in each pool advance to the NCCAA II FInal Four, so the Lady Fire will most likely need to win both games on Friday to advance to the national semifinals on Saturday.

For instant game updates, surf to Grace University's athletic website at the link below www.graceroyals.com/WVol/NCCAA/Index.htm

NATIONALS: SEU Cruises To Victory Over NCU

OMAHA, Neb.--The Southeastern University women's volleyball team got off on the right foot Thursday in its first game of the 2007 NCCAA II national tournament.

SEU, which is the No. 4 seed overall, defeated No. 8 seed North Central University in four games (30-20, 27-30, 30-26, 30-22).

The first round of the national tournament is a pool play format in which there are four teams in each pool and eight teams overall in the tournament.

The top two teams from each pool will advance to the NCCAA II Final Four on Saturday.

Sarah Maus led the Lady Fire with 25 digs while junior Brittany Braly and freshman Kristy Bailey added 19 and 18 digs, respectively.

First Team All-Region player Casey Jensen led SEU with 23 kills while senior Stacy Troyer dished out 41 assists.

The Lady Fire will play No. 5 seed Lincoln Christian College today at 3:00 p.m. (EST), finishing out day one of the tournament.

Lady Fire Earns At-Large Bid Into NCCAA II National Tournament
(10-30-07)

LAKELAND--After falling to the defending national champion, Clearwater Christian, in the South Region tournament this past weekend, the Southeastern University women's volleyball team was unsure whether it would be play for a national championship next weekend in Omaha, Nebraska.

The Lady Fire, however, earned the No. 5 seed in the national tournament, which will be played November 8-10 on the campus of Grace University.

The Lady Fire went 23-21, with two regular season games still remaining, and 11-4 in the South Region overall. Southeastern's record was good enough for the Lady Fire to get an at-large bid into the tournament.

"I was surprised to get the bid simply because we did not get it done the easy way and had to rely on other people pleading our case for a national ranking," said Head Coach Terry Thomas. "If I had the choice, I would rather have been able to speak on my own team's behalf. It worked out, so we will prepare with diligence."

Last year, SEU was left out of the national tournament after falling to Clearwater Christian in the South Region tournament and going 10-4 in region play.

So why did SEU get in the national tournament this year, you may ask?

The Lady Fire lost to only one NCCAA II team all year, and that was Clearwater Christian, which is the defending national champ.

The Lady Fire also went 5-0 on a road trip to Iowa, capturing the 2007 Spikefest tournament against all NCCAA II opponents.

"The seeding was less of a surprise since the only NCCAA II team we have lost to in the past two seasons has been Clearwater," added Thomas. "It really helped us going to the Spikefest tournament in Iowa early in the year. Two of those teams made it (to nationals), and we beat them both. Additionally, we played almost all NAIA schools in the month of October."

Don't look at the 23-21 overall schedule and think this Lady Fire team is mediocre.

SEU plays one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country with 23 games against teams that do not play on the NCCAA II level.

Take SEU's four losses to Clearwater Christian out of the equation and SEU went a perfect 15-0 versus NCCAA II opponents.

SOUTH REGION TOURNAMENT: Lady Fire Falls in South Region Championship Game
(10-27-07)

LAKELAND--The Southeastern University women's volleyball team fell in the South Region Championship, Saturday, for the second straight year to Clearwater Christian.

Clearwater Christian dominated SEU in three games (30-16, 30-25, 30-16) and dominated the South Region Tournament overall, losing just one game in the South Region Tournament on the road to winning another regional title.

Sarah Maus led the Lady Fire with 17 digs, while Kristy Bailey added 14 digs in the match. Casey Jensen had 10 kills for SEU.

Southeastern falls to 23-21 overall and 11-4 versus South Region teams, with all four losses at the hands of Clearwater Christian.

Southeastern had three players represented on the All-Region team.

Senior Stacy Troyer was named First Team All-Region along with freshman Casey Jensen. Heather Johnson was named a Second Team All-Region selection.

Senior Sarah Maus was named All-Region Honorable Mention.

SEU will now wait to see if they will earn an at-large bid into the NCCAA II National Tournament in Omaha, Nebr., November 8-10.

SOUTH REGION TOURNAMENT: Lady Fire Advances to South Region Championship Game

LAKELAND--The Southeastern University women's volleyball team defeated Toccoa Falls College in three games Saturday afternoon to advance to the South Region Championship game on Saturday.

Sarah Maus led the Lady Fire with 21 digs, while Holly Lastovica added 16 digs.

Wendi Grettenberg connected on eight kills off the bench.

Southeastern will now have to beat the No. 1 team in the country, Clearwater Christian, twice on Saturday to win the South Region Championship.

Game one is scheduled to start at 2:00 p.m.

The Lady Fire are 0-3 versus Clearwater Christian this season and have dropped seven straight games to the Lady Cougars over the past two seasons.

SOUTH REGION TOURNAMENT: SEU Falls to Clearwater Christian

LAKELAND--After dropping game one, 34-32, No. 1 seed Clearwater Christian rallied to win the next three games against Southeastern University to advance to the South Region Championship game on Saturday.

Southeastern will now have to play Toccoa Falls College in an elimination game at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, with the winner set to face Clearwater Christian in the South Region Championship.

It was CCC's seventh straight victory over Southeastern since SEU defeated Clearwater Christian in the 2005 South Region Championship game.

The game between SEU and Toccoa Falls College is scheduled to start at 11:30 a.m. The winner would then have to defeat Clearwater Christian twice in order to capture the South Region Tournament Championship.

LINESCORE
Clearwater Christian def. Southeatern University (32-34, 30-16, 30-17, 30-11)

SOUTH REGION UPDATE: SEU Defeats Piedmont Baptist in Three Games
(10-26-07)

LAKELAND--The Southeastern University women's volleyball team defeated Piedmont Baptist College in three games, Friday afternoon, to set up a matchup with No. 1 seed Clearwater Christian College on Saturday morning.

The Lady Fire were led by Casey Jensen's 11 kills and Kristen Ledlow's nine kills.

Stacy Troyer had 25 assists and Brittany Braly added five aces and five kills for the match as SEU won easily in three games: 30-14, 30-21, 30-10.

SEU will play No. 1 seed Clearwater Christian College at 9:00 a.m. Saturday morning, the Lady Cougars having won both of their games on Friday, easily advancing to the South Region semifinals.

The winner between SEU and Clearwater Christian, Saturday morning, would advance to the South Region Championship game at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday.

SOUTH REGION TOURNAMENT UPDATE: Lady Fire Blanks Atlanta Christian

CLEARWATER--The Southeastern women's soccer team defeated Atlanta Christian College, 3-0, on Friday afternoon to advance to the South Region Tournament Championship on Saturday.

Jamie Willis scored the only goal in the first half to give SEU a 1-0 lead at halftime.

Freshmen Jenna Bartholomew and Amy Delettre combined on the shutout for SEU.

Melissa Kennedy added two second-half goals for the Lady Fire, which advances to its third straight South Region Championship game.

SEU is looking to repeat as South Region Champions for the first time in school history and will play the winner of the game between Toccoa Falls College and Clearwater Christian College at 1:00 p.m. at Seffner Christian School.

SOUTH REGION UPDATE: Lady Fire Cruises Past Trinity College

LAKELAND--The Southeastern University women's volleyball team advanced into the South Region Tournament winner's bracket, Friday afternoon, with a victory over No. 7 seed Trinity College (30-6, 30-10, 30-14).

Stacy Troyer led the Lady Fire with 41 assists, while Casey Jensen compiled 13 kills in the three games.

Kristen Ledlow had four aces in game two for the Lady Fire, which improves to 21-19 on the year.

On Friday at 4:00 p.m., SEU will face the winner of the game between No. 6 seed Florida Christian College and No. 3 seed Piedmont Baptist College.

VOLLEYBALL SOUTH REGION TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
(10-24-07)

LAKELAND--The Southeastern University women's volleyball team earned the No. 2 seed in the South Region tournament this weekend. The action starts Friday at noon when SEU takes on No. 7 seed Trinity College.

The Lady Fire went 8-2 in the South Region this season. Its only two losses came at the hands of No. 1 seed Clearwater Christian College, which went a perfect 9-0 in the region.

With a win in game one, SEU would face the winner of the game between No. 3 seed Piedmont Baptist College and No. 6 seed Florida Christian College at 4:00 p.m.

The seeds for the tournament are below; their South Region records are in parentheses.

#1-Clearwater Christian College (9-0)
#2-Southeastern University (8-2)
#3-Piedmont Baptist College (7-3)
#4-Toccoa Falls College (6-3)
#5-Atlanta Christian College (4-9)
#6-Florida Christian College (3-7)
#7-Trinity College (3-9)

Lady Fire Gets Big Win Over NAIA Warner Southern
(09-19-07)

LAKE WALES.--The Southeastern University women's volleyball team earned a huge victory over NAIA Warner Southern College, Tuesday night, defeating the Lady Royals in five games (30-25, 22-30, 30-24, 27-30, 15-13) behind Heather Johnson's huge night for SEU.

Johnson led the Lady Fire with 23 kills on 53 total attacks. Casey Jensen and Kristy Bailey both added 14 kills apiece while Kristen Ledlow added 12 kills and five aces on the night.

Stacy Troyer dished out 55 assists and added 18 digs while Sarah Maus led the team with 20 digs.

Southeastern is now 15-5 on the season and will play in the Pepsi Bash at the Beach tournament, hosted by Northwood University, this weekend in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Lady Fire Gets Back On Track
(09-17-07)

LAKELAND--The Southeastern University women's volleyball team got back on track Friday night by defeating Atlanta Christian College in three games (30-11, 30-12, 30-13).

The Lady Fire were led by Kristen Ledlow's nine kills and nine aces.

Sarah Weiler and Holly Lastovica both added six kills apiece while Stacy Troyer dished out 32 assists for the match.

SEU improves to 14-5 on the season and 6-1 in the South Region.

SEU will travel to play NAIA Warner Southern on Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m.

Lady Fire Falls To Defending National Champs
(09-13-07)

LAKELAND--The Southeastern University women's volleyball team fell to defending NCCAA II National Champion Clearwater Christian College in four games Tuesday night before a boisterous SEU crowd of over 500 fans.

SEU grabbed a 28-26 lead in game one, but the Lady Cougars stormed back to take game one, 32-30, and seize the momentum early.

SEU fell in game two, 30-19, but freshmen Kristy Bailey and Casey Jensen energized the Lady Fire in game three as SEU won 30-20.

Bailey had five kills while Jensen had four kills in game three for the Lady Fire. Heather Johnson had six digs in the game that put SEU back in the contest, trailing two games to one.

In game four, the Lady Fire built a slight lead late, but too many mistakes haunted SEU down the stretch, and the defending national champion capitalized and took the game 30-27.

Clearwater Christian improves to 13-3 on the season and is currently ranked No. 3 nationally.

Bailey finished the game with 14 kills and 21 digs on the night.

Jensen currently leads the nation in kills and finished the night with 13 kills in all.

Another freshman, Heather Johnson, ended the night with 11 kills and 16 digs.

Sarah Maus finished with 25 digs while Stacy Troyer, who leads the nation in assists, finished the night with 40 assists.

SEU falls to 13-5 on the year and will host Atlanta Christian College, Friday night, at 7:00 p.m.

Lady Fire Wins Seventh Straight Contest
(09-12-07)

KISSIMMEE, Fla.--The Lady Fire volleyball team has been red-hot of late. SEU defeated Florida Christian College Tuesday night in three games (30-8, 30-12, 30-25) to win its seventh straight match.

The Lady Fire has won 12 out of the the last 13 games and improved to 13-4 on the year.

Casey Jensen and Heather Johnson both had seven kills apiece while Stacy Troyer dished out 25 assists for the game; every Lady Fire player contributed in Tuesday's victory.

Sarah Maus had 11 digs while Jessica Figueroa, Kristy Bailey, and Holly Lastovica all had four kills apiece.

SEU is now preparing to play the defending NCCAA II National Champion, Clearwater Christian College, Thursday night.

The Lady Fire went 0-4 versus Clearwater Christian last season as the Lady Cougars went on to win the national title.

The Lady Cougars are 12-3 on the season and expected to be ranked No.1 in the country come Thursday night when the first NCCAA II national rankings are posted.

Game time is 7:00 p.m. in the Southeastern Sportsplex.

Lady Fire Goes Perfect In Tournament at Piedmont Baptist
(09-09-07)

WINSTON-SALEM, NC--The Lady Fire volleyball team went a perfect 6-0 this weekend in a tournament hosted by Piedmont Baptist College.

On Friday, SEU defeated Toccoa Falls College (30-16, 30-28, 30-28), Caldwell Community College, (30-11, 30-20, 30-16), and Catawba Valley Community College (30-17, 27-30, 30-18, 30-12).

Casey Jensen had 41 kills in the three games while Stacy Troyer contributed 121 assists, averaging 40.3 assists in the games on Friday.

On Saturday, the Lady Fire defeated Atlanta Christian College (30-7, 30-10, 30-17), Piedmont Baptist College (30-14, 30-13, 30-18), and Wesley College (30-9, 30-4, 30-8).

Jensen totalled 27 kills on Saturday while Troyer added 102 assists for the three games.

Kristen Ledlow had 16 kills versus Piedmont Baptist College while Jenna Harrang had 10 aces versus Wesley College.

With the six wins this weekend, SEU improves to 12-4 on the year. The Lady Fire will travel to Kissimmee, Florida, on Tuesday night to play Florida Christian College.

Lady Fire Wins 2007 Spikefest tournament
(09-06-07)

ANKENY, Iowa--The Southeastern University women's volleyball went a perfect 5-0 on a road trip to Iowa this past weekend and captured the 2007 Spikefest tournament for the second time in three years.

SEU started off the road trip with a win over Faith Baptist Bible College on Thursday night.

Heather Johnson led the way for the Lady Fire offense, recording 16 kills.

Kristen Ledlow added 15 kills while Casey Jensen totaled 12 kills; SEU won in four games (30-19, 26-30, 30-28, 30-24).

Stacy Troyer recorded 50 assists in the match while Sarah Maus added 13 digs on the night.

After Thursday night's win, the Lady Fire opened up the 2007 Spikefest tournament with Grace University.

The Spikefest tournament was hosted by Faith Baptist Bible College, and the last time the Lady Fire participated in the tournament was in 2005.

The Lady Fire won the tournament in 2005. The team went on to win the 2005 South Region and set a school record with 28 wins in a season.

SEU dominated Grace University, winning in four games ( 30-25, 19-30, 30-27, 31-29).

Jensen had another huge game, recording 24 kills with five solo blocks while Johnson added 17 kills, two aces, and four solo blocks.

Troyer added 55 assists, and Maus contributed 18 digs as SEU's defensive specialist.

Next, the Lady Fire battled a tough Crown College team and eventually won in five games (30-16, 30-11, 29-31, 25-30, 15-4).

Johnson and Ledlow had 14 and 13 kills, respectively. Troyer added 34 assists while Maus had four aces for the game.

In the tournament's semi-finals, SEU defeated Moody Bible Institute in three games (30-20, 30-12, 30-25).

Jensen had 15 kills while Johnson contributed 12 kills, two aces, and 11 digs. Troyer once again had a great game distributing the ball with 41 assists while Maus added 12 digs.

In the Spikefest championship game, the Lady Fire defeated Presentation College in straight games (30-23, 30-24, 30-17).

Four Lady Fire players recorded double digits in digs. Maus led SEU with a season-high 24 digs. Freshman Kristy Baily added 12 digs, while Brittany Braly and Johnson both added 10 digs apiece.

Ledlow led the team with 15 digs while Jensen and Johnson both chipped in with 13 kills apiece.

With the five wins on the road trip, SEU improved to 6-3 on the season and then dropped a game this past Tuesday to Webber International, which is 10-1 on the year.

SEU is now 6-4 on the year and will travel to Winston-Salem, N.C., this weekend to play in a tournament hosted by Piedmont Baptist College.

SEU Falls To Webber International
(09-05-07)

LAKELAND--The Southeastern University women's volleyball team dropped a tough match to NAIA Webber International, Tuesday night, in three games--falling to 6-4 on the season.

Fresh off winning the 2007 Spikefest tournament in Ankeny, Iowa, this past weekend, SEU returned to action and lost to a tough Webber International team. Webber improved to 10-1 on the season with its win Tuesday night.

SEU was led by Sarah Maus, who had 18 digs on the night.

Freshman Casey Jensen had nine kills on the night. Kristen Ledlow added eight kills with four kills in game one, igniting a late Lady Fire charge.

Stacy Troyer added 35 assists on the night.

SEU will travel to Winston-Salem, N.C., this weekend for a tournament hosted by Piedmont Baptist College.

Lady Fire Falls To Florida College
(08-28-07)

LAKELAND--The Southeastern University women's volleyball team fell to Florida College Tuesday night in three games (27-30, 28-30, 25-30) in the Lady Fire's home opener for the 2007 season.

Sarah Maus led the defensive effort for SEU, recording 18 digs, while Stacey Troyer recorded 42 assists on the night.

Southeastern's inexperience has shown this season. The Lady Fire blew leads in every game versus Florida College Tuesday night and let a two-game lead to Grand View College slip away this past Saturday, losing the match in five games.

Coach Terry Thomas played five first-year players Tuesday night, and has nine first-year players on this year's roster.

With the loss, Southeastern falls to 1-3 on the year and will travel to Ankeny, Iowa, for the 2007 Spikefest Tournament hosted by Faith Baptist Bible College.

Southeastern won the Spikefest Tournament the last time they participated back in 2005.

SEU Falls To Clearwater Christian in South Region Championship Game
(10-28-06)

TOCCOA FALLS, Ga.--The dream of repeating as the South Region champion came to an end Saturday afternoon for the Southeastern women's volleyball team as it fell to No.1 ranked Clearwater Christian College (20-30, 23-30, 29-31) in the South Region Championship game.

Southeastern is now 20-19 on the year with a 10-4 South Region record; Southeastern lost its four games to Clearwater Christian.

The Lady Fire still has a chance of obtaining an at-large bid into the NCCAA II National Tournament, which will be played November 9-11 in Lincoln, Illinois.

The tournament field will be set sometime next week.

Lady Fire Advances To South Region Final Four
(10-27-06)

TOCCOA FALLS, GA--The Southeastern University women's volleyball team advanced to the South Region Tournament's Final Four on Friday night by defeating Florida Christian College (30-4, 30-11, 30-10) and Piedmont Baptist College (30-10, 30-15, 30-20).

SEU is now 19-18 on the season and 9-3 in the South Region.

Southeastern will play tomorrow in the semifinals at 10:00 am, but its opponent is still undetermined. With a win SEU will advance to the South Region championship game for the fourth straight year. Southeastern won the South Region Tournament last year and is the defending South Region Champion.

No. 1-ranked Clearwater Christian won easily in both of its contests Friday and is 3-0 versus Southeastern this season.

The South Region championship game will be played at 1:00 p.m.

Lady Fire Falls to Hillsborough Community College
(10-25-06)

LAKELAND--The Southeastern University women's volleyball team fell to Hillsborough Community College, Tuesday night, in three games (23-30, 21-30, 26-30).

With the loss, SEU falls to 17-18 on the year as it heads into the South Region Tournament this weekend in Toccoa Falls, Georgia.

Darla Sechrest had 12 kills with just one error while Brittany Braly led the team with 38 digs on the night.

Sarah Maus added 34 digs in the match as she surpassed 1,000 digs for the season and set a new school record for digs in a single season.

SEU will be the No. 2 seed in the South Region Tournament and will play No. 3 seed Toccoa Falls College on Friday.

SEU Falls To No. 1 Clearwater Christian
(10-20-06)

LAKELAND--No. 1 Clearwater Christian stayed perfect in the South Region, Thursday night, as the Lady Cougars defeated Southeastern University in four games (24-30, 32-30, 22-30, 19-30).

Brooke Braly led the Lady Fire with 54 digs while Ashley Lange added 39 digs. Brittany Braly contributed 10 kills and 28 digs while Stacey Troyer dished out 36 assists on the night.

Clearwater Christian is now a perfect 3-0 versus Southeastern this season and also a perfect 9-0 in the South Region where it will be the No. 1 seed in the South Region Tournament next weekend in Toccoa Falls, Georgia.

Southeastern will host South Florida Community College on Friday night at 7:00 p.m.

Lady Fire Handles Florida Christian College
(10-19-06)

KISSIMMEE, Fla.--The Southeastern women's volleyball team defeated Florida Christian College, Tuesday night, in three games (30-10, 30-16, 30-15), improving its South Region record to 7-2 on the season.

SEU is now 17-15 overall on the year and will play a huge game versus South Region rival Clearwater Christian College, Thursday night. The Lady Cougars are ranked No.1 in the country and have beat SEU twice already this season.

Dayna Sechrest, Brittany Braly, and Michelle Outlaw all had six kills apiece to lead the Lady Fire offense. Braly also added nine digs along with freshman Katrina Cook.

Maegan Fredrick added 17 assists while Stacey Troyer pitched in with 11 assists in the contest.

SEU also will host South Florida Community College on Friday night at 7:00 p.m.

SEU Sweeps Season Series From Warner Southern
(10-12-06)

LAKE WALES--The Southeastern women's volleyball team defeated NAIA Warner Southern for a season sweep of the Lady Royals, Tuesday night, in four games (30-21, 30-25, 22-30, 30-24).

Brooke Braly led the Lady Fire with 16 kills and 15 digs while Sarah Maus had another spectacular defensive performance with 43 digs on the night.

SEU improves to 14-13 on the season and will travel to Montgomery, Alabama, this weekend to compete in a tournament hosted by Faulkner University.

Ashley Lange also contributed with four kills and 25 digs while Brittany Braly added 10 kills and 24 digs.

SEU Sweeps St. John's River Community College
(10-03-06)

LAKELAND--The Southeastern University women's volleyball team took two games from St. John's River Community College on Saturday, improving to 13-12 on the season.

The Lady Fire has been struggling over the past month, dropping nine of its last 10 contests heading into Saturday's game.

SEU won match one in straight sets (30-25, 30-23, 30-21) and had to battle hard in match two, winning in game five, to end the day (30-26, 25-30, 32-30, 22-30, 15-10).

Darla Sechrest helped SEU get back on track as she compiled 17 kills in match one alone. Darla's sister, Dayna Sechrest, added 15 kills while Brittany Braly added six kills and 25 digs in match one.

Sarah Maus continued her great defensive play, leading the team with 39 digs in match one. Brooke Braly pitched in with 26 digs respectively.

SEU will host a tough Florida College team on Tuesday night in the Sportsplex at 7:00 p.m. Florida College defeated Southeastern in three games on September 15.

Troyer, Sechrest Make All-Tournament Team
(09-26-06)

WEST PALM BEACH--The Southeastern University women's volleyball team went 1-3 in the Pepsi Bash at the Beach volleyball tournament this past weekend hosted by NCAA II Palm Beach Atlantic.

The Lady Fire dropped its opening match to PBA and then got a big win over NAIA St. Thomas University.

SEU then matched up with NAIA powerhouse Madonna University and fell in three games. SEU then lost to Embry-Riddle University in four games.

Stacey Troyer had 78 assists in the tournament while freshman Dayna Sechrest added 30 kills and 14 digs for the tournament. The performances of Troyer and Sechrest helped them to be named to the all-tournament team.

SEU is now 11-12 on the year and will host St. John's River Community College on Saturday.

SEU Falls To Clearwater Christian
(09-20-06)

CLEARWATER--Clearwater Christian's women's volleyball team defeated Southeastern in straight sets (30-18, 30-20, 30-27) Tuesday night, giving the Lady Cougars a two-game lead in the region.

It was Clearwater's second victory over SEU in 10 days, and with the loss, SEU falls to 10-9 on the season.

Brooke Braly had 21 digs while Ashley Lange added 15 digs. Sarah Maus and Stacey Troyer both chipped in with 14 digs apiece. Troyer also added 27 assists.

Darla Sechrest led the way for the SEU offense. Sechrest ended the night with 12 kills and four solo blocks.

Southeastern will now travel this weekend to West Palm Beach, Florida, for the Pepsi Bash at the Beach tournament hosted by Palm Beach Atlantic University.

SEU will play Palm Beach Atlantic, Friday at noon and then cap off the night with a game versus St. Thomas University at 2:15 p.m.

Lady Fire Falls To Clearwater Christian in Championship Game
(09-11-06)

LAKELAND--The 2006 North-South Tournament saw the two best teams in the tournament face off in the tournament championship game, Saturday, with Clearwater Christian defeating SEU in four games (30-27, 29-31, 30-27, 30-22).

Southeastern had been perfect in the tournament going 5-0 without losing a single game, but Clearwater Christian was equally impressive doing the same, going 5-0 without a single game loss leading up to the championship game.

The meeting was a rematch of the 2005 South Region Championship where the Lady Fire stormed back after dropping the first two games to win the university's first regional championship in more than 10 years.

But on this day, Clearwater Christian was the better team and snapped SEU's 11-game winning streak in the North-South Tournament that dated back to 2004.

Sarah Maus led the way defensively for the Lady Fire, totaling 51 digs in the contest, while Brooke Braly was equally impressive with 45 digs. Braly's sister, Brittany Braly, played one of her best games of the year with 44 digs.

Darla Sechrest had 18 kills in the match while Ashley Lange added 13 kills.

Southeastern is now 10-4 on the season and will play in a tri-match versus Webber International University and Flagler College on Tuesday in Babson Park, Florida.

SEU Perfect In First Day of North-South Tournament
(09-09-06)

LAKELAND--In day one of the annual North-South Tournament the Southeastern women's volleyball team went 3-0 on Friday, defeating South Region opponents Toccoa Falls College, Atlanta Christian College, and Wesley College.

In game one, SEU defeated Toccoa Falls College in three games (30-25, 30-11, 30-18).

Darla Sechrest led the way on offense for the Lady Fire, recording 16 kills with no errors. Brooke Braly added 13 kills while Ashley Lange contributed nine kills.

On defense, Sarah Maus had 47 digs in the match, including 20 digs in just game one. Braly added 25 digs in the match.

In game two, the Lady Fire put away Atlanta Christian College in three games as well (30-8, 30-16, 30-8). Sechrest had 14 kills in the match while Lange had another solid game with 12 digs.

Maus added 25 digs and Braly was solid defensivley again with 17 digs.

Game three saw SEU sweep Wesley College in three games (30-9, 30-9, 30-5). Sechrest once again led the way with 10 kills, but sophomore Michelle Outlaw added eight kills of her own.

SEU went a perfect 9-0 in the first day of the tournament and now has a record of 9-1 in the North-South Tournament over the past three years.

Southeastern will play Piedmont Baptist on Saturday at 9:00 a.m. With a win the Lady Fire will advance to the championship bracket of the tournament, setting up a possible meeting with rival Clearwater Christian. Clearwater Christian went 3-0 on Friday as well in the first round of the tournament.

Southeastern To Host 2006 North-South Kickoff Tournament
(09-07-06)

LAKELAND--Eight South Region teams will compete in this weekend's North-South Kickoff Tournament, starting Friday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. when Southeastern University takes on Toccoa Falls College in the Sportsplex.

Southeastern's new Student Activities Center also will host games in order to make the tournament move quicker and more efficiently. This year's tournament will see all of the Florida schools that are part of the South Region play as home schools, while all of the other South Region teams will be visitors.

Since Southeastern is the host school it will play all of its games on its home floor in the Sportsplex.

Saturday's championship game will be at 2:00 p.m. in the Sportsplex.

2006 North-South Kickoff Tournament
Teams

Florida Visitors
1. Southeastern University 1. Toccoa Falls College
2. Clearwater Christian 2. Atlanta Christian
3. Florida Christian College 3. Wesley College
4. Trinity Baptist College 4. Piedmont Baptist

Schedule

Friday, Sept. 8, 2006
Round 1
Sportsplex 2:30 p.m. Activity Center
Ct.1 SEU vs. TFC Ct1. FCC vs. WC
Ct.2 CCC vs. ACC Ct.2 TBC vs. PBC

Round 2
Sportsplex 5:00 p.m. Activity Center
Ct.1 SEU vs. ACC Ct1. CCC vs. WC
Ct.2 FCC vs. PBC Ct.2 TBC vs. TFC

Round 3
Sportsplex 7:30 p.m. Activity Center
Ct.1 SEU vs. WC Ct1. FCC vs. TFC
Ct.2 CCC vs. PBC Ct.2 TBC vs. ACC

Saturday, Sept. 9, 2006
Round 4
Sportsplex 9:00 a.m. Activity Center
Ct.1 SEU vs. PBC Ct1. CCC vs. TFC
Ct.2 TBC vs. WC Ct.2 FCC vs. ACC

Championship Bracket 11:30 a.m. Consolation Bracket
Sportsplex Activity Center Ct1. #1 vs. #4 Ct.1 #5 vs. #8
Ct.2 #2 vs. #3 Ct.2 #6 vs. #7

2:00 p.m.
Championship Final Consolation Final
Ct. 1 Ct. 2

Southeastern Handles Warner Southern In Three Games
(09-06-06)

LAKELAND--The Southeastern women's volleyball team played one of its best games of the year on Tuesday night when the Lady Fire defeated NAIA Warner Southern in three games (30-26, 30-23, 30-22).

Stacey Troyer led the way for SEU, dishing out 48 assists while also contributing 16 digs on the night.

Darla Sechrest continued to play well as she finished with 18 kills. Brooke Braly added seven kills, with five of those kills coming in game two of the match.

Freshman Dayna Sechrest and sophomore Ashley Lange both added six kills apiece on the night. Sarah Maus finished the match with 29 digs.

Southeastern is now 5-3 on the year and will play host to the 2006 North-South Tournament this weekend.

SEU Wins Two Games In Labor Day Tournament
(09-05-06)

LAKELAND--The Southeastern women's volleyball team went 2-1 this past weekend in the 2006 Labor Day Tournament.

SEU started the tournament off with a win over NAIA Brenau University (30-23, 30-22, 25-30, 30-22).

Darla Sechrest had 22 kills while Brooke Braly and Dayna Sechrest both added 13 kills apiece respectively. Sarah Maus contributed 30 digs while Ashley Lange added 16 digs for the Lady Fire. Stacey Troyer also dished out 44 assists in game one.

In game two, the Lady Fire came right back to defeat NAIA Brewton-Parker College in five games (30-22, 25-30, 30-26, 30-24, 15-10).

Darla Sechrest had another strong game with 25 kills. Dayna Sechrest continues to improve every game as she added 15 kills on the afternoon. Troyer had 54 assists and six service aces while Sarah Maus had 45 digs in the match.

Finally, the Lady Fire matched up with Webber International, which also defeated both Brenau University and Brewton-Parker College, in the final match of the tournament.

SEU fell to the Warriors in three games (30-22, 30-21, 32-30), and now the Lady Fire is 4-3 on the season.

SEU will host NAIA Warner Southern today at 7:00 p.m. in the Sportsplex.

Lady Fire Defeats Faith Baptist Bible College with defense
(09-01-06)

LAKELAND--It has been somewhat of a slow start for the Southeastern University volleyball team this season. The Lady Fire had dropped two of its first three matches of the season and needed a big win on Thursday night versus NCCAA II Faith Baptist Bible College to get back on track.

Well, the Lady Fire did just that, defeating Faith Baptist Bible College in four games, 35-33, 30-23, 30-32, 30-23, to improve to 2-2 on the season.

"We changed our defensive scheme just before the game and absoulutely carried it out to give us our best defensive night yet," said Southeastern Head Coach Terry Thomas.

Leading the defensive effort was Brooke Braly with 49 digs on the night.

SEU managed just 53 digs on Tuesday night versus Hillsborough Community College. In the four games versus Faith Baptist Bible College, the Lady Fire turned up the defense by recording 174 digs on the night.

Sarah Maus added 38 digs while Ashley Lange contributed 33 digs.

Not to be outdone, Darla Sechrest tied her career high with 31 kills on the night while Stacey Troyer added 47 assists on the night.

Freshman Dayna Sechrest had seven blocks on the night.

The Lady Fire will play in the 2006 Labor Day tournament, which SEU is hosting, on Saturday. There has been a change to the tournament schedule; Southeastern will not travel to Webber International for the two games it was supposed to play. SEU will now play three games on Saturday, starting at 9:00 a.m. versus Brewton-Parker College. SEU will then play Webber International at 11:00 a.m. and finish the day with Brenau University at 3:30 p.m.

Lady Fire Falls To Hillsborough Community College
(08-31-06)

TAMPA--The Southeastern University women's volleyball team traveled to play Hillsborough Community College on Tuesday night and fell to HCC in three games: 30-23, 30-15, and 30-24.

With the loss the Lady Fire falls to an early 1-2 record.

The team played better defensively as players made 56 digs and 12 blocks Tuesday night, but it is the offense that is trying to get on track early on in the season. The Lady Fire managed just 21 kills with eight errors on the night.

Individually, freshman Dayna Sechrest had six kills with no errors while senior Brooke Braly added 13 kills on the night for SEU.

Southeastern will next play tonight at 7:00 p.m., as it hosts NCCAA II Faith Baptist Bible College.

Lady Fire Wins One, Loses One in Season Opener
(08-28-06)

LAKELAND--The Southeastern women's volleyball team went 1-1 to open the 2006 season in the Southeastern Sportsplex on Saturday.

The Lady Fire fell to St. John's River Community College in four games. The Lady Fire won game one 30-22, but SJRCC came storming back, winning the next three games 30-21, 30-22, and 30-19.

Stacey Troyer led SEU with 33 assists over the four games while Brittany Braly added 13 digs. Darla Sechrest had four solo blocks and 14 kills on the day.

The Lady Fire rebounded in its second match verses Florida Christian College. SEU swept the match, winning 30-11, 30-16, and 30-11.

Southeastern will next play this Tuesday when it hosts Hillsborough Community College in the Sportsplex at 7:00 p.m.