After dropping the first two sets, the Lee volleyball team fought back to capture the next two before falling in the fifth set and dropping a 3-2 GSC contest with host Montevallo University inside Trustmark Arena on Tuesday evening.
The sets read 17-25, 29-31, 25-22, 27-25, 8-15. Lee trailed 19-13 in the second set before battling back to tie at 22. The Falcons went back up 24-22 and Coach Christa Fabre ordered a timeout. The Lady Flames came back out and tied at 24 on an ace by Carmen Perez.
The thriller was actually deadlocked again at 26, 27, 28 and 29 before Montevallo broke away to win 31-29.
The loss dropped the Lady Flames to 11-7 overall and 3-3 in GSC play. Montevallo improved to 6-10, 4-2. The loss ended a three-game winning streak by the Lady Flames. It also marked the fourth straight time that Montevallo has beaten the Lady Flames. Lee has not won at Montevallo since 2017.
The Lady Flames will continue their road adventures on Friday when they travel to Mississippi College for another GSC date beginning at 7 p.m. They will move up to Livingston, Ala. and test West Alabama on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.
Lee fought back and won the third set and forced extra points in the fourth set before falling behind 5-0 and again 8-3 in the final set, an amount it could never recover from. There was a total of 38 ties in the thrilling match but just nine lead changes.
The Falcons had a total of 67 kills to 59 for the Lady Flames. Their power was on display with 25 blocks to 15 for Lee. The home standing Falcons had six different players who went to the deck for 107 digs while the Lady Flames picked up 97 in the battle.
Abby Stroh got her strong right arm going and finished with 17 kills to lead the Lee attack. She also had 18 digs and a pair of blocks. Allie Scurlock finished with 12 kills. Naomi Hockless countered with 11 kills and a .286 attack percentage. Perez totaled eight kills while Ashton Middleton had 33 assists and 10 digs. Kamryn Halpin led the team with 20 digs and Clarissa Soza followed closely with 19.
The Falcon attack was paced by Macy Martin with 19 kills and six blocks. Allie Dishman tallied 13 kills and a team-leading eight blocks. Kamble Frenette was close behind with 12 kills and four blocks. Colton Thompson dished off 33 assists and had 19 digs. Casey Hendrixson led her team in digs with 29 and Grace Petro pitched in with 19.
Coach Christa Fabre’s thoughts:
“Montevallo is a good team, especially when they are in system. They run a fast tempo with their middles that is hard to defend."
“I loved seeing our team come back after being down the first two sets. We have a team that doesn’t quit, and I am proud of them for that."
“The fifth set we sided out at a really low percentage, 28%. That number is very challenging to overcome. We have a lot of season left and I’m thankful for the growth we’re seeing and to get back in the gym to get ready for the weekend.”