ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Short-handed due to injuries and sickness, the Lee volleyball team finished 1-2 in the Tiger-Reddie Invitational hosted by Henderson State University over the weekend. The Lady Flames lost to Ouachita Baptist and Truman State on Friday before turning away a determined University of Arkansas-Monticello on Saturday afternoon in five sets.
The up-and-down victory will be one the Lady Flames will remember for a while. Lee appeared to be in total control winning the first set 25-11. UAM came back and stunned the Lady Flames in the next two, 21-25, 24-26. Lee rebounded in the fourth set 25-14 and forced a showdown in the short set.
The final frame was deadlocked five times until an ace by Macy Petty and a kill by Carmen Perez finally gave Lee an 11-9 lead, opening the door for the hard-fought win. Petty finished the long afternoon with 12 kills and a solid .455 attack mark. Perez had 12 kills and a .333 attack percentage. Allie Scurlock chipped in with 10 kills and Naomi Hockless added seven.
Ashton Middleton made all the slam work possible with 41 assists. She also had a pair of aces. Petty had three aces and Perez two. All totaled the Lady Flames finished with eight aces to only four for Monticello. Kamryn Halpin went to the floor 18 times for digs and Clarissa Soza had 10.
Monticello was strong at the net. Jasmine Welton had 13 kills. Abrielle Jordan and Jalen Scroggins had 10 apiece while Bruna Silva had 22 assists. Stasha Adams was a factor in the contest with 16 digs and a pair of aces.
The Lady Flames will return to Walker Arena after appearing in three invitational tournaments and holding an impressive 7-4 record to open Gulf South Conference play on Tuesday at 6 p.m. against the University of Montevallo.
Coach Christa Fabre's thoughts:
"We had to overcome a good bit of adversity this week with injuries and sickness. The first day of this tournament was not our best, not what we had set out to accomplish. Today, we had a battle with Arkansas-Monticello. They came out hungry in that second set and helped us to learn that we can't let up until the end of the third set, had have a win on our side. Macy Petty had a great weekend and Carmen Perez had a key role in helping us come out on top.
"We are looking forward to resting up tomorrow and preparing for Montevallo on Tuesday. After being on the road the last few weekends, we are ready to be home and take care of business. They (Montevallo) have played some great teams this preseason so I anticipate it will be a great match."
