The Lady Flames moved to 9-2 on the season, improving their conference mark to 4-1. For Southern Wesleyan, it was the first loss of the season, as they drop to 16-1, 3-1 in Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) play.
Irene Ojukwu and Marija Zelenovic led the way offensively for the Lady Flames, turning in 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Middle Blockers Lauren Williams and Patty Orozco also turned in solid performances, combining for 12 kills. Williams earned a .556 hitting percentage, with Orozco converting at .500.
“Irene and Marija played well for us this afternoon,” said Hudson. “But to have both of our middles (Williams and Orozco) hitting at a high level is a huge help to our hitters.”
“We passed the ball well today, too,” added Hudson. Splitting time at setter, Kelsey Leffew had 19 assists, with Gretchen Higdon adding 18. Stephanie Todd led the way defensively, earning a team-high, 15 digs.
For Southern Wesleyan, Amber Garrett led the team with seven kills, aided by 20 assists by Hayley Hoover. Kelsey Deerinwater had 17 digs for the losing squad.
The Lady Flames look forward now to a busy week, starting at Emmanuel College, Monday at 7 p.m. The Lee ladies return home, Thursday, for another conference showdown, this time with Shorter University, also at 7 p.m.
Friday and Saturday, Lee hosts an SSAC Crossover tournament, taking on Brewton-Parker College (Friday at 7 p.m.), Belhaven University (Saturday at 10 a.m.), and Faulkner University (Saturday at 4 p.m.).
“We would love to have a big crowd for the Shorter game,” concluded Hudson. “It will be a big game, and then we will turn around and host the Crossover tournament over the weekend.”
