LAKE WALES, Fla. – Southeastern remained unbeaten in Sun Conference play with an 84-61 win at Warner Thursday night, outscoring the Royals 50-30 in the second 20 minutes.

The Fire got off to a slow start in the first quarter, going 0-for-3 from 3-point land but the defense kept the team in the game. SEU had five steals in the first 10 minutes and trailed by one, 15-14.

Southeastern used an 8-0 run in the first three minutes of the second period to take control and its biggest lead at 22-15. Additionally, the Fire forced three turnovers on Warner’s first five possession of the second period. The Royals were able to heat back up from long range, connecting on four of their eight 3-point attempts to cut the SEU lead to 34-31 at halftime.

In the third, it was all Fire. SEU closed the third on an 11-0 run over the final 3:10 to take a 64-40 lead into the fourth quarter. Again, it was the defense, forcing nine Warner turnovers and holding the Royals to eight total shot attempts, outscoring the hosts 30-9.

Haley Howarth was 5-of-7 from 3-point land in the second half scoring 15 of her 18 points during the 13 minutes she played in the second half. The sophomore also had six rebounds, two assists, and three steals. Madi Hecox also had 18, going 8-of-10 from the field and had five rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

Bekki Kalaydijev was also in double-figures with 10 points and led the team in assists with seven. The junior added four steals and four rebounds.

The Fire return to action on Tuesday at home against Thomas at 5:30 p.m.

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Sun Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week  

Riley Minix – Southeastern – SO – Vero Beach, Florida 
A 20-day layoff had no effect on Minix as he tied his season-high in points with 29 and registered a season-high in steals with five against St. Thomas. The Vero Beach native nearly doubled his season 3-PT field goal total after three games this week, giving him 31 on the year which has him ranked eighth in the NAIA. The sophomore maintained his position as conference scoring leader, averaging 22.6 PPG, three more points than the next closest.  

This is Minix’s second TSC weekly award of the season and the third of his career. 

Sun Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week 

Haley Gantt – Warner – JR – Boynton Beach, Florida 
Gantt was essential to the Royals success this week picking up two wins. She had a strong performance in the Royals only loss on the week to the Bobcats of St. Thomas where she registered 26 points and 3 blocks. She added 2 more blocks against the Rams in another good night with 12 points and 8 rebounds in the Royals victory. Gantt’s game against the Eagles of Trinity Baptist led to a season high 21 rebounds (14 defensive, 7 offensive). As a forward, Gantt was impressively 6-13 from 3-point range and surpassed the 100 point mark against the Eagles now sitting at 108 points on the season. Haley Gantt currently ranks #15 in the NAIA with 11 rebounds per game. Having played in only six games she ranks #4 in The Sun Conference with an average of 18.00 points per game. Gantt and D’Asia James of the Royals lead The Sun Conference in rebounds per game, #1 Gantt (11), #2 James (10.57). Gantt also now ranks #1 in The Sun Conference in blocks per game with 1.67.  

This is Gantt’s second TSC weekly award of the season and the second of her career. 

Sun Conference Basketball Players of the Week 

Men 
Week 7 – Riley Minix – Southeastern (Dec. 14) 
Week 6 – Aubrey Washington – Florida Memorial (Dec. 7) 
Week 5 – Jaylon Myles – Webber International (Nov. 30)   
Week 4 – CoreVon Lott – Keiser (Nov. 23)
Week 3 – Eric Klekas – Ave Maria (Nov. 16)
Week 2 – Kris Goettert – Webber International (Nov. 9)
Week 1 – Riley Minix – Southeastern (Nov. 2) 

Women 
Week 7 – Haley Gantt – Warner (Dec. 14) 
Week 6 – Antigonie Sanabria – Keiser (Dec. 7) 
Week 5 – N/A  
Week 4 – Keaynna Tolbert– Florida Memorial (Nov. 23) 
Week 3 – Anari Dozier – St. Thomas (Nov. 16) 
Week 2 – Haley Gantt – Warner (Nov. 9) 
Week 1 – Syanne Rowe – Ave Maria (Nov. 2)

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2020  Sun Conference Volleyball All-Conference
 
First Team 
Cabriella Bouterse, JR, OH                 Ave Maria  
Madelyn Haut, SO, MB                       Ave Maria 
Victoria Schein, SO, L/DS                    Ave Maria 
Lily Witkoski, SO, S                             Ave Maria 
Giovana Larregui Lopez, JR, OH          Coastal Georgia 
Cassie Cox, JR, OH                              Keiser      
Amber Dilsaver, JR, MB                      Keiser 
Jordan Odom, SR, OH/DS                    Keiser 
Abbe Seward, SR, OH                         Keiser 
Emily Boehlein, SR, RS/MB                 Southeastern 
Kyleigh Beecham, SO, S                      St. Thomas 
Arianna Bolinger, JR, OH                    St. Thomas 
Tyran Chenault, SR, MB                      St. Thomas 
Victoria Fernandez, FR, L                    St. Thomas 

Second Team
Erica Chenard, SR, MB                        Ave Maria 
Gardieliz Laureano-Anujar, SR, S         Coastal Georgia 
Alison Muldrow, SR, MB                     Coastal Georgia 
Talia Myers, JR, MB                            Keiser 
Brooklyn VandeHei, JR, S                   Keiser 
Aurora Alderman, SR, DS/L                 Warner 
TarriAnne Henry, FR, S/RS                  Warner 
Svenja Koenig, GS, MB                       Webber International

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LAKELAND, Fla. – The Southeastern University women’s soccer team opened their home schedule with a 5-0 win over fellow Sun Conference member Warner University.

It was Naira Lopez’s day as the transfer sophomore scored five goals in the first half, tying the program record for most goals scored in a game.

“What can you say about Naira. Naira is a special player, she created for herself, her teammates created for her,” said Fire head coach Alan Berrios. “There was uncertainty heading into this game because we didn’t dress 12 players. We talked about controlling our controllables, doing what we can do with what we have, and the girls came out strong with a ton of energy and put them on their heels quickly.”

The first goal from Lopez came early off a corner when she bent the ball around the near post to sneak it past the keeper for her first goal in a Fire uniform.

Later in the 14^th minute, Lopez got the ball at midfield and weaved around the Royals defense and for her second goal of the match. Lopez then converted on a penalty kick for goal number three.

Her final two goals were impressive as goal number four came off a perfectly placed pass from Makayla Peddycourt into the box that Lopez found with her head and guided it past the Royals goalie. Goal number five came when Lopez fired a shot well outside the box and soared over the keeper’s head into the back of the net.

Junior goalkeeper Holly Eddins and the rest of the Fire defense kept the Royals at bay throughout the match as Warner only managed two shots, both of which were saved by Eddins.

The Fire have a week off before their next game on Saturday, September 26^th when they host the USCB Sandsharks at 5:00 pm.

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LAKE WALES, Fla. – The Sun Conference Women’s Volleyball Game of the Week between Crooked Lake rival Webber International University and Warner University certainly lived up to the hype, and in the end it was the visiting Warriors who came away with a thrilling 3-2 (16-25, 25-20, 19-25, 25-21, 16-14) victory over the Royals on Wednesday night inside the Tuner Athletic Center.

The story of the match was a Warrior team that simply refused to quit. Twice Webber had to battle back from down a set to tie it, and then in the deciding fifth set, the Warriors had to overcome a five-point deficit before needing a final two points tied at 14-14 to come back and win.

In the deciding fifth set, Webber trailed 3-0, 4-1, 6-2 and 7-3 with three early service errors before back-to-back attack errors by Warner made it 7-5.

The next three points then went back to the Royals to make it 10-5, but then the fourth kill of the match by Hannah McCarty followed by the sixth service ace on the night by Kiersten Tisdale and an assisted block by Svenja Koenig and McCarty started a 7-0 Webber run.

A seventh service ace by Tisdale tied it up at 10-10, and then another kill by McCarty put the Warriors ahead for the first time in the fifth set at 11-10.

McCarty third kill of the set then made it 12-10 Warriors to cap the 7-0 run, and then two points later Madelyn Glouner earned a kill to make it 13-11.

However, Warner would not go away either and fought back to tie it at 14-14, and that is where Glouner stepped up again and made her mark with a big-time kill to make it 15-14, and then an attack error by Warner was all she wrote.

“I am very proud of our Warriors’ effort tonight,” said Head Women’s Volleyball Coach Gretchen Hand. “Tonight we build girt and tenacity and fought together as a team. We are excited to keep improving together.”

In all, Glouner finished with 11 kills and was one behind the Warriors’ leader in the category, Sara Wiserock, who had 12 kills.

McCarty and Koenig finished with six kills apiece while Koenig also added five blocks and McCarty had four.

Amanda Vega added five kills and 12 assists while the leading in the assists category for Webber was Cameron Brown with 17.

Defensively, Tisdale recorded 20 digs and had seven extremely important aces to go along with her night, and Gabriela Lopez added 12 digs.

It was an extremely slow start to begin the match for the Warriors, who never led in set number one and trailed 8-1 and then 13-5 early on before falling behind by 10 at 22-12 late in the set.

However, the second set started much tighter as neither team led by more than one until Webber finally went ahead by two at 11-9.

From there, the Warriors went up by five 17-12, but the Royals made it interesting by coming back to tie it at 18-18.

Then tied 19-19, Webber finished off the set on a 6-1 run thanks in large part to strong serving, including two aces by Tisdale. The final point of the set was a kill by Koenig for the Warriors to knot everything up at one set apiece.

In set number three, the momentum went back to the home team as after an 8-8 tie, three straight point by the Royals started a 10-3 run for Warner that put the Warriors behind 18-11.

In the fourth set, Webber tried to take the momentum back and doubled up Warner at 6-3 on a service ace by Lopez, at 8-4 on a solo block by Wiserock, at 10-5 on another ace by Tisdale, and again at 12-6 on an assisted block by Glouner and Koenig.

The Royals, however, got back to within two at 16-14 and then again at 18-16 before a 5-0 run for Webber featuring two more aces by Tisdale and a huge kill by Glouner to cap the run made it 23-16 Warriors.

Then with the score at 23-19, McCarty and Koenig combined on a block assist to make it 24-19; and three points later, a kill by Glouner, Webber’s finisher in this match, forced the fifth set.  

Webber improved to 3-1 overall on the season and picked up its first Sun Conference victory of the year at 1-1 while Warner fell to 0-1 and 0-1 in what was both its season and its conference opener.

Webber will now face a tough test at home on Saturday, September 16, as the Warriors host the team picked to finish second in The Sun Conference preseason poll, Florida Memorial University. First serve is slated for 6 p.m. inside the Sabbagh Athletic Center as the Warriors look to get back into the win column against a Lions team that won twice against Webber last season after previously going 0-for-24 against the Warriors before that.

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