KINGSVILLE, Texas – Southeastern falls in the opener at the Javelina Volleyball Classic to Lake Erie after a four-set battle, 3-1.
The Savage Storm had three players reach double-figure kills, led by
Gabby Jones with 15, while
Faith Kruebbe and
Noelia Rocha each had 10.
Jasmin Dion pulled the string for the attack, recording 40 assists. At the net, Kruebbe and
Maci Morrison each registered 3.0 total blocks, and
Laura Weatherford led the back row with 16 digs. Jones also chipped in 12 digs for her second double-double this season.
Southeastern (2-3) will look to bounce back on day two tomorrow with two matches, starting at 2:30 p.m. with Bridgeport, followed by Texas A&M-Kingsville at 6:30 p.m.
SET ONE
Southeastern trailed 6-2 to Lake Erie early in set one, and would take advantage of four-straight attack errors by LEC to tie the set 10-10. Lake Erie would jump back in front, but once again, the Savage Storm had an answer with a 5-1 run that featured a pair of kills from Morrison to tie the frame 19-all. However, Lake Erie found momentum at the end of the set, closing out the frame on a 6-1 run to win 25-20.
SET TWO
The Savage Storm raced ahead to a 6-3 advantage, which soon grew to 12-7 after a 5-1 run, including three kills by Rocha. SE continued to stay on the front foot as two more kills from Kruebbe helped extend the blue and gold's advantage to 16-10. Southeastern's lead would stretch out to 21-14, but they were soon under pressure from LEC, who cut the gap to three on a 4-0 run, 21-18. SE and LEC went point-for-point over the next four rallies before Kruebbe slammed down the final kill of the set to win 25-21.
SET THREE
Another fast start from the blue and gold put SE ahead 6-2 in the set, and an ace and kill by Jones helped extend the Southeastern advantage to 10-6. However, a flurry of points from Lake Erie helped them grab its first lead 14-11 after an 8-1 run. LEC continued its charge, as it extended its advantage to 17-12, but three consecutive errors by Lake Erie allowed the Storm to cut it to a two-point set, 17-15. Southeastern remained on the heels of LEC at 20-18, but a 3-0 run for Lake Erie would set up a 25-20 set victory.
SET FOUR
A slow start by Southeastern saw them trailing 7-1 at the first break, and LEC's lead soon grew to 11-2 after the timeout. Despite falling behind early, SE continued to battle, building an 8-1 run, featuring back-to-back aces by
Alexis Williams to cut the gap to 14-13. The Savage Storm remained close through the next rallies, though a 4-1 run would push Lake Erie ahead 23-18, setting up a 25-21set win.
