The Lee University volleyball team had a 9-0 run to start the contest and never looked back as the Lady Flames swept the University of West Alabama 3-0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-22) on Saturday afternoon. It is the first sweep for the Lady Flames this season.
Ashton Middleton led the charge on the first set gathering two aces on the way to a 9-0 lead. Lee then used another 5-0 run later in the set to pull out to a 19-9 lead. UWA slightly closed the gap but could never catch up as Lee won the first set 25-17.
Set number two saw UWA take an early 2-1 lead but then Lee started to pull away with four more short runs as Kamryn Halpin had a couple of service aces and Lee won 25-16.
In the third set, Abby Stroh and Hannah Upton asserted some dominance as they led Lee to a 25-22 win.
The Tigers had the lead by as many as four points in the set but Lee battled and forced seven ties in the set.
The Lady Flames were led by Upton who had 12 kills and a .348 hitting percentage on the day. She also added nine digs. Stroh had six kills and 15 digs. Middleton had a great day as the setter with 17 assists, nine digs, and four aces. The Lady Flames as a team hit .208 on the day and held UWA to .000 hitting. Lee had 11 blocks and seven aces in the win
Interim Head Coach Silvia Beauzile was very pleased with the win. “We knew that today was a must win to make the GSC tournament. I am very proud of the team for taking care of business early in the sets and getting on the runs to close the sets out. We need to look one game at time as we head towards the end of the season. We are always looking for ways to improve and pull off some upsets.
Lee will be back in action on Tuesday, October 25 at 6 PM. They will travel to the University of West Georgia in Carrollton, Ga.