After exchanging blows in an epic first set nail biter the Lee volleyball team fell to Alabama Huntsville, 3-1 on Friday evening in its Gulf South Conference opener from Walker Arena.
The Chargers outlasted the Lady Flames, 32-30 in the first battle. The Chargers recorded 18 kills in the set while Lee tallied 22 on a .246 team hitting percentage.
UAH seized the moment from the extended first set victory and took set two 25-17. The Lady Flames rallied back to win set 3, 25-20 before falling in the fourth, 25-19.
“The first set was probably the most exciting we’ve played in a while and it was exciting to see the girls fight so hard,” said head coach Andrea Hudson. “I was really proud of them for battling but UAH responded well in the second set and kept the momentum going. I was happy what we did in the third set and we finally started to get things going in the fourth but it was just too late.”
Sophomore Silvia Sartori slammed home a match-high 23 kills including 12 in the final set. The Serbian outside hitter also added 13 digs. Senior Catherine Conley followed with 11 slams and had five blocks.
“Silvia was really determined that when she went up to hit it was going to be a kill in that final set and when she gets a mentality like that she’s really hard to stop. I was really proud of her,” said Hudson.
Setters Sadie Johnson and Kristi Farley teamed up for 30 and 25 assists respectively while libero Makayla Beebe led the defensive effort with 25 digs.
The Chargers, under first year head coach Dr. Cade Smith, were led by a balanced offensive attack from Anna Claire Johnson (13 kills), Lorah Yonce (10 kills) and Caroline Sanford (9 kills). Kirsten Giles was active from the setter position pitching in nine kills of her own to go along with 37 assists. Haley Hop recorded 23 digs while Younce added 16.
Lee falls to 3-3 on the season and 0-1 in league play. The victory propels UAH to 7-1 overall and 2-0 in the GSC.
The Lady Flames will look to bounce back quickly as they welcome defending conference champion North Alabama to town on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Lions (9-1, 1-1) suffered their first set back of the season to Shorter in five sets on Friday.