Facing a stiff challenge visiting the defending Gulf South Conference Champions to open up league play the Lee volleyball team fell to North Alabama, 3-1 on Tuesday evening.
The Lady Flames (6-2, 0-1) lost for the first time since dropping the opening match of the 2017 season to Lincoln Memorial while the Lions extend their winning streak to nine games and improve to 11-2 on the year and 1-0 in conference play.
Lee came out firing in the opening set and closed on an 8-1 run to win by a comfortable 25-17 margin.
From there though the Lions roared back taking the final three sets 25-20, 25-14 and 25-18 to win the match and snap the Lady Flames six-match winning streak.
The Lady Flames were led by standout junior Silvia Sartori with 12 kills and nine digs. Senior Brooke Wilsman registered nine slams on a .304 hitting percentage to go along with nine digs. Many of those points were set up setter Sadie Johnson who finished with 19 assists.
Defensively it was the agile MaKayla Beebe with 15 digs while leaping freshman Bailey Kress added a pair of blocks.
North Alabama was led by the dynamic duo of Jessica Austin and Lexie Bradley who teamed up for 32 of the Lions' 47 kills, tallying 16 respectively. Jayden Davila McClary had a match-high 38 assists while also recording 18 digs.
As a team the Lions finished with a .212 hitting percentage while the Lady Flames ended the first set with a sizzling .290 attack percentage but dipped to .049 in set two and ended the match with a .154 mark.
The Lady Flames will look to strike up another win streak as they travel to Memphis to take on Christian Brothers on Friday at 7 p.m. before testing Union on Saturday at 3 p.m.