HENDERSON — In her debut as head coach, Amanda Cunningham did all she could to soak in the moment. "It's like a dream come true. This is something I've wanted since midway through my first year." That memory will always be a positive one as she led her Freed-Hardeman University Lady Lions to a 3-0 (25-12, 25-16, 25-14) victory over the Rust (Miss.) College Bearcats.

Avery Harris anchored a fast start for the Lady Lions (1-0), tallying four service aces to spark a 6-0 start to the match. With a pair of kills first from Avery Young and then from Catherine Hackett, FHU's 8-1 start forced a Rust timeout. That break was helpful for the Bearcats, who would later rattle off four consecutive points to narrow the gap to a 12-6 score. The Lady Lions would take advantage of attack errors from the guests, ultimately having Harris's kill wrapping up the first set 25-12.

The second start started similarly, with Rust (0-5) spotting the Lady Lions four points off of errors. It was not until the middle of the second frame that the Lady Lions were able to make solid contact for kills, with Ann Elise Jackson teaming up with Alanys Ruíz Rivera and Harris to put FHU on top 15-8. A pair of kills from Katie Bowers was chased by a service ace from Heidie Lacroix to put a wrap on a 25-16 second set which saw FHU smack a match-high 13 kills.

FHU used an 8-1 run in the middle of the third set to help jump to a 10-4 advantage. FHU would put the pressure on the Rust hitters, forcing four errors including a double block from Hackett and Masey Kate Adams. Putting an end to an eight-error set, the Lady Lions claimed set and match with a 25-14 final.

"There's not one particular person who stood out to me," said Cunningham. "What impressed me the most was everyone did their job: even when we threw in unexpected substitutions or tried different rotations."

Avery Harris led FHU's attack with seven kills, while Alanys Ruíz Rivera tallied six. Jumping in to a leading role as a true freshman, Masey Kate Adams led the Lady Lions with 23 assists.

Cunningham said of the freshman, "I was impressed with Masey Kate. We talked a lot about decision-making and running the offense that she wanted to run. I think she's learning our system really well."
 

---

Up Next

The Lady Lions will hit the road to participate in the Philander Smith Classic in Little Rock, Arkansas. Playing in four matches across two days, FHU will first battle Harris-Stowe State (Mo.) University at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 25, before taking the court against Southern University of New Orleans (La.) at 5:30 p.m.