In was a totally different story in the second and third games. The NAIA’s second-ranked Lady Flames zipped to 25-10 and 25-14 wins before putting the hosts away, 25-20 in the fourth game.
“We came out and took a big lead at the start of the first game,” assistant coach Kevin Hudson said. “We turned right around and got sloppy and they just beat us before we finally woke up for the next two games.”
Junior Stephanie Todd paced the attacking Lady Flames. She had a double-double (12 kills, 13 digs) and a .381 attacking percentage. Senior Kayla Carlisle followed close behind with 11 kills and two blocks. Christa Hutchison had a solid effort with eight kills and a .500 hitting percentage. Arlene Ferreira countered with seven kills and 20 digs. Val Caboclo chipped in with four blocks.
Junior Kelsey Leffew was the assist leader with 24. She also added five digs. Gretchen Higdon posted 14 assists and Sarah Smith contributed 12 digs. Nikki Golston totaled nine kills and eight digs for the losers.
The Lady Flames headed south for Savannah, Ga. right after the match. They will practice on Thursday and then get ready for some of their biggest tests of the season on Friday and Saturday. The SCAD Invitational sees Lee facing a talented Embry-Riddle (Fla.) squad in the first game at 11 a.m. on Friday. They will come back at 3 p.m. and test Bellevue University (Neb.).
The battle that many have been waiting for will transpire on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. when Lee goes up against the University of Texas at Brownsville. Three of the current Lady Flames played for the fifth-ranked Brownsville club last season.
