In what always proves to be a hard-fought battle the Lee volleyball team fell to Emory University, 3-1 on Wednesday night inside Walker Arena.

The two clubs met for the 33^rd time overall. Lee still holds an 18-15 advantage in the series despite losing the last two meetings to the Eagles.

The Lady Flames delivered the first blow of the evening taking the first set 27-25 to energize the home crowd. Lee recorded 17 kills in the set on a .268 attack percentage as they outlasted the Eagles .

Emory would stagger but not fall as they battled back to claim the next three sets (25-23, 25-18, 25-23) to short-circuit the Lady Flames' upset bid.

The loss drops the Lady Flames to 6-9 on the season. The win moves Emory, ranked third in the latest NCAA Division III poll, to 22-2 on the year.

Lee had four players in double-figure attacks. Seniors Lauren Williams and Patty Orozco led the way with 11 slams each. Williams would also contribute on the defensive end with five blocks. Erin Hill and Brooke Wilsman followed closely behind with 10 apiece.

Sadie Johnson and Haley Foote rotated in the setter role for the Lady Flames. Johnson registered 22 assists while Foote tallied 20. Libero Stephanie Hernandez added to her team-lead in digs with 15. The native of Toa Baja, Puerto Rico now has 211 on the year.

Kathryn Trinka and Sarah Maher paced the Eagles attack with 12 slams. Leah Jacobs added 11 kills and Cat McGrath pitched in 10. Sydney Mills set up the offense with 39 assists while Kate Bowman led the defensive effort with a match-high 18 digs.

The road won't get much easier for Lee this weekend. The Lady Flames will jump back into conference action with a visit to Valdosta State (10-3, 7-3) on Friday at 6 before traveling to Pensacola for an afternoon tilt with No. 21 West Florida (14-2, 8-2) on Saturday (4 p.m.).