It was everything you would expect from two evenly matched teams vying for a playoff spot on Saturday evening when the Lee volleyball team hosted West Alabama from Walker Arena.
The two clubs exchanged punches in a back and forth affair before the Tigers pulled away late in the fifth and final set to edge the Lady Flames, 3-2 (25-19, 19-25, 25-23, 14-25, 15-12).
The victory puts West Alabama at 8-10 in conference play and in sole possession of the sixth and final spot in the GSC Tournament with just two matches remaining. The loss drops the Lady Flames to 12-16 overall and 7-11 in conference play.
Silvia Sartori had another 20-plus kill performance. The Serbian power hitter registered 25 kills and 16 digs to go along with a .375 hitting percentage. Three other Lee players would crack double-digit kills as Catherine Conley chipped in 14 while Brooke Wilsman and Blaire Beamer each had 12 slams.
“I was very proud of our effort tonight,” said head coach Andrea Hudson. “Tonight is the hardest I’ve seen our team work. I think they knew what was at stake and I saw something in them I had not seen a long time.”
Hillary Hoffpauir was all over the court and dialed up 55 big assists to help the offensive attack. The native of Glendale, Ariz. Also made her presence felt on the defensive end with 12 digs.
Seniors Stephanie Hernandez and Sarah Davis roamed the back line for Lee. Hernandez had a match-high 23 digs while Davis added 16.
West Alabama was led by Briana Sandifer with 20 kills and 17 digs. Morgan Ray added 13 slams and Callie Murphy recorded 26 assists. Jamie Lancellot had eight slams and nine blocks to help key the road victory.
“Our team knows where we are in the conference and we just need to go into the Shorter match with the same kind of intensity and effort we showed tonight and believe we can win that match,” concluded Hudson.
Lee will renew its rivalry with the Lady Hawks on Tuesday in the final home match of the season. First serve is set for 7 p.m.