Bradshaw’s big day pushes Fire to fourth straight win
NORTH MIAMI, Fla.—A dominant performance at the net helped the Fire volleyball team defeat Johnson & Wales 3-0 to improve to 17-2 on the season, and 9-1 in Sun Conference play.
As a team, the Fire hit .214 and recorded 10 blocks. Additionally, the Fire recorded 67 digs and had five aces.
Southeastern scored nine straight points to pull away in the first and hold a 19-9 advantage, and end up with a 25-15 win.
The second set saw the Fire post a .321 attacking percentage in the second, led by Avery Bradshaw’s five kills in that set to pick up a 25-18 win.
Bradshaw led the way for SEU, posting a team-best 13 kills and .440 attacking percentage to go along with her three aces and 19 digs.
“After last night, Avery realized what she was capable of,” said coach Audrey Goldsberry. “She came out today and showed why she came to Southeastern, why she’s one of the best players in the conference, and really set the ground for us.”
The Wildcats fought back in the third set, having the lead or being tied during 19 of the first 20 rallies. A 5-1 run by the Fire put them up 14-11, but JWU answered right back with three straight points to tie the set at 14. Eventually, the Fire pulled away with a 25-22 win.
“We did a good job slowing down the game and having frantic moments become calmer moments,” said Goldsberry. “Everyone really stepped up and played their role.”
Abigail Weaver was also in double figures with 13 kills and a .344 attacking percentage. Sarah Castillo was the top distributor with 26 assists, and added 10 digs.
Libero Keniah Rivera Santiago added 17 digs to the defensive effort, and Hannah Kaszubowski chipped in 11.
“We played for each other this week,” said Rivera Santiago. “We wanted to bring the intensity that we played with in the preseason.”
The Fire return home for three straight matches, starting on Wednesday with Warner University at 7 p.m.