HARROGATE, Tenn. – Silvia Sartori recorded a double-double with 17 kills and 16 digs to help lead the Lee volleyball team to its first victory of the season topping Carson-Newman, 3-1 during Friday's nightcap.

Sartori, a preseason All-GSC selection, showcased exactly why she was chosen as the Belgrade, Serbia native combined for 31 kills in the two matches on Friday.

The Lady Flames draw to 1-1 on the year after falling to host Lincoln Memorial earlier in the day. Carson Newman moves to the same mark after winning their first match of the two-day event.

Newcomer Quinne Daoust joined Sartori in double-figures with 10 slams while sophomore Mary Katherine Givhan had a breakout performance adding six kills on a sizzling .600 hitting percentage. Junior transfer Alex Reuter followed with nine kills while serving up four aces.

Libero MaKayla Beebe led all players with 26 digs and pitched in seven assists. Sadie Johnson and Kristi Farley split time at the setter position and posted 18 assists each.

Lee took the first 25-20 on a kill from red-shirt freshman Bailey Kress. In the second the set it was Givhan slamming home the final point to put the Lady Flames up 2-0.

The Eagles battled back to avoid the sweep with a 25-19 victory in the third set before the Lady Flames ended the match by closing on a 5-1 run to win 25-20 in the fourth.

"We played much better tonight," said Andrea Hudson, now in her 27^th year as the Lee volleyball head coach. "Mary Katherine played exceptionally well and really gave us a lift. Carson Newman is much improved from last year so this was a great win for Lee volleyball."

Lee will wrap up the opening weekend with two more matches on Saturday. The Lady Flames will get an early wakeup call as they tangle with Mars Hill College at 9 a.m. before ending the day against King University at 7 p.m.

LEE 1 LMU 3
The Lady Flames opened up the season Friday morning falling to Lincoln Memorial University, 3-1 to start the 2017 campaign.

Senior Brooke Wilsman paced the offensive attack with 15 kills while junior outside hitter Sartori followed with 14 slams and 14 digs. Johnson recorded 23 assists while Hanna Matthews rotated in with 11 helpers. Beebe, a second team All-GSC selection a year ago, added 15 digs and eight assists.

The Railsplitters outlasted the Lady Flames 26-24 in the first set and took a commanding 2-0 lead with a 25-17 win in the second. Lee battled back to win the third set 25-23 before coming up just short in the fourth by the same margin.

Kierra Holland and Rylee Storms tallied 15 kills each for the home team. Samantha Cash set the offensive up with 41 assists. Tone Gill provided the defensive punch with a match-high nine blocks while Erica Whiteaker had 35 digs.

"We were really challenged today by a very big frontline at LMU," said Hudson. "Unfortunately we fought hard to only come up short at the end."