MEMPHIS, Tennessee – The Lee volleyball team let one slip away as it ended the 2021 season falling to Christian Brothers University, 3-2 on Friday night.

The Lady Flames held a 2-1 advantage, but the Lady Bucs rallied to take set four 27-25 and finished off the victory with a 15-9 win in the fifth-set tiebreaker. Lee had a match-point opportunity at 25-24 in set four before the Lady Bucs brought the home crowd to its feet with three-straight points to force another set. The Lady Flames once again appeared poised to finally put the match away leading, 9-7 before CBU finished the contest on an 8-0 run.

Emma Flowers finished off a fantastic season as she led the Lady Flames with 18 kills and 16 digs. She ended the year with a team-high 328 kills on the year. Abby Stroh posted 11 slams and Allie Whittinghill tallied eight. Reagan Bratton set things up with 22 assists and added three aces in the service game. Senior Hannah Longley recorded 17 digs and two aces to finish off her career. Senior Calina Croy rotated in at setter and dished off 13 assists.

Head Coach Callie Murphy, finishing her first year on the sidelines leading the Lady Flames, singled out her two seniors, "Hannah Longley had a great night for us defensively. She kept us alive in a large part of the match. Her discipline, hard work and infectious attitude, will be missed on the court next season."  "Cal also had a good night running our offense. She worked our offense around to create many opportunities. Her abilities and smile will be missed next season!"

Madeline McGaha led CBU with 13 kills and Tia Rizvi added 12 and had 13 digs. McGaha made her presence felt at the net as well with five blocks.

"Overall, CBU brought their A game, had a heart for competing and playing with fire and we got outplayed tonight offensively," acknowledged Murphy. "They have gotten much better since the beginning of the year and I'm excited to see us both improve next year with the young classes we both have."

The Lady Flames finished the year at 7-20 overall and 5-11 in the GSC. Lee posted a 6-5 mark at home and scored big GSC wins on the Sport Court in Walker Arena over Union, Valdosta State and Shorter. The Lady Bucs close out a tough season on a positive note and end the year at 3-25 and 1-14 in league play.

"Our focus has now shifted to the Spring where we will work to get faster, stronger, and more competitive each and every day. The team you see today will not be the same team you see come next August. Stay tuned and thanks for all the awesome support from fans this season," concluded Murphy.