Battling the top team in the Gulf South Conference (GSC) the Lee volleyball team suffered a 3-1 (25-20, 25-16, 26-28, 25-18) lost to Shorter University on Tuesday evening inside Walker Arena.
The Lady Flames (6-12, 4-8) were squaring off for the 26th time with the Lady Hawks. Lee still holds a commanding 21-5 edge in the series despite the loss. With the victory Shorter (14-3, 12-1) holds on to their one-game lead over West Florida in the conference standings.
In the first set the two-clubs exchanged punches before the Lady Hawks closed on a 12-7 run to take the early lead with a 25-20 victory.
Set two was more of the same as the Lady Hawks opened things up mid-way through the set to cruise to a 25-16 victory and quiet a good weekday crowd at Walker Arena.
The Lady Flames would give the home fans something to cheer about in the third set as they battled back to clip the Lady Hawks, 28-26.
Lee held a 24-21 advantage and held off a three-point run by Shorter to avoid the sweep. The Georgia club would close things out in the fourth set with a 25-18 victory.
Lee was playing without their leading attacker Erin Hill who suffered an injury during last weekend’s road trip. Senior Latrice Johnson stepped up with 12 slams and 16 digs. Freshman Sadie Johnson added a double-double of her own with 20 assists and 11 digs.
Defensively the Lady Flames were led by Stephanie Hernandez who anchored the backline with 22 digs while Lauren Williams and Catherine Conley stood tall at the net with three blocks apiece.
Shorter featured a balanced attack with three different players in double-figure kills. Jasmine Crook led the way with 13 to go along with 17 digs. Anna Graham added 12 slams while Elizabeth Dowd registered 11 and 18 digs. Dena Pierce and Cheyenne Frady set up the attack with 25 and 24 assists respectively.
Lee will look to end their three-game slide as they take part in the South Region Crossover this weekend hosted by Florida Southern. The four-match event begins on Friday at 12:30 p.m. as the Lady Flames square off with No. 1 Tampa.