Box Score CLEVELAND, Tenn. - The Freed-Hardeman Lady Lions will make history at 6:30 PM CST tonight.

The Lady Lions face off against No. 19 Lee (Tenn.) University in the 2009 NAIA National Volleyball Tournament Opening Round on the Lady Flames' home floor, marking the first time that the FHU program has advanced to the national tournament.

The winner of tonight's match advances to the field of 24 in Sioux City, Iowa, on Dec. 1-5.

QUOTABLE
"Our non conference schedule was a tough schedule with ranked opponents. I felt we played with more confidence in the conference tournament, especially in the 5 set matches. It also tells us how we stack up against ranked opponents. We played those in the top twenty pretty close so we feel we have a good chance against Lee if we play the way we are able." -- Coach Humphry on FHU's non-conference schedule, which featured eight opponents ranked in the NAIA Preseason Top 25.

"Lee is a solid team. From all I hear from those who played them, Lee is a very good blocking team with solid defense. We have a good offense so it should be a good match. We hope to come out Saturday night with a victory and headed to the next step in Iowa." -- Coach Humphry on FHU's opening round opponent, Lee University.

"We have not prepared any differently for Lee than we would anybody else we played during the season. One advantage might be that the first round is one game and one game only with the winner advancing. It is much easier to prepare for one team than a host of pool play teams at this point. We are excited about the Nationals and feel we have reached a big preseason goal from August by advancing." -- Coach Humphry on his team's preparation for their first national tournament match.

CONFERENCE DOMINATION
The Lady Lions went 12-2 in their 2009 TranSouth Conference schedule, then went 4-0 in the conference tournament to continue their recent domination of their conference opponents. Since 2007, FHU is 40-4 in the TranSouth in the regular season and won tournament titles in both 2007 and 2009 in addition to three consecutive regular season titles from 2007-2009.

INSTANT IMPACT
After losing their top two hitters from last season (one to graduation, one to injury), the Lady Lions simply reloaded with the additions of Diana Silva and Nataly Gutierrez. Silva, an outside hitter, led the team in kills, kills per set, attack percentage, aces and digs on her way to being name the TranSouth Conference Player of the Year. Gutierrez provided a nice complement in the middle with 3.3 kills per game and 79 blocks, both of which ranked second on the team.

HOT AND COLD
Looking at FHU's season results this year shows that wins and losses both came in streaks for the Lady Lions. FHU had win streaks of four, seven, five, and five matches while enduring three different three-match losing skids throughout the season. The Lady Lions are currently riding a five-match winning streak that included a 4-0 performance in the conference tournament.

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT
As it has been in the past, FHU's attack is among the nation's best. The Lady Lions are ranked 17th in the NAIA in team hitting percentage (.265) and 37th in total kills (1673) in the 2009 season. Individually, Diana Silva ranks 15th in kills per game (4.0) and 27th in total kills (476).

SETTING THE TABLE
Sophomore setter Amber Turner has more than proven to be a suitable replacement for four-time all-conference setter Martha Ray, who graduated after last season. Turner led the conference in assists with 10.9 per game, a figure that ranks 10th in the NAIA.

TOUGHENING UP
Freed-Hardeman's 12 losses this season are the most the program has had since 2004, but don't let that fool you into thinking the team isn't as good as it has been in years past. The Lady Lions played the toughest non-conference school in program history, with 10 matches against teams that were ranked in the NAIA Preseason Top 25. Five of FHU's opponents this season qualified for the national tournament.

ON THE SHELF
One overlooked fact to FHU's season is that the Lady Lions managed to win the conference without the services of Fernanda (Alves) Ferreira, who was the TranSouth Freshman of the Year in 2008 and an AVCA All-American. Ferreira was sidelined for the entire season with an an injury but is expected to return to the floor next season. In 2008, she averaged 3.2 kills per set and had an impressive .364 hitting percentage.

FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
Freed-Hardeman is one of four teams which are making their first trips to the NAIA National Tournament. Union (Ky.), Evangel (Mo.) and Indiana East are the others. All four qualified by winning their respective conference tournaments.

SCOUTING THE LADY FLAMES
Lee enters the national tournament with a record of 32-5. Three of the Lady Flames' five losses came to teams that qualified for the national tournament: No. 11 Vanguard (Calif.), No. 15 Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) and Savannah College of Art and Design (Ga.). Another loss came to NCAA Division II Emory (Ga.) University. Lee also has two wins over NAIA tournament qualifiers, defeating Olivet Nazarene (Ill.), University of Mobile (Ala.).

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