LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — In their second game of the day, the Freed-Hardeman University Lady Lions volleyball team continued their upward trend in a four-set win over Harris-Stowe State (Mo.) University Hornets 3-1 (16-25, 25-19, 25-23, 25-20).
Similar to their first match of the day, FHU (3-0) had trouble placing the ball in the first set, recording five errors to their four kills for a negative attack percentage. The Lady Lions would then get a taste of their own medicine by falling victim to a strong service run, seeing the Hornets connect for three straight aces in the middle of a 9-0 run to finish the set 25-16.
The second frame saw Harris-Stowe (1-1) jump ahead to a 6-3 advantage, but, with
Catherine Hackett at the line, a set of service aces flipped the script to give FHU a 7-6 lead. From there, FHU and HSSU would trade blows to tie or take no larger than a one point lead until
Audrey Orton's service ace forced a Hornet timeout with an 18-16 score in favor of the ladies in maroon. A kill from
Ann Elise Jackson was chased by a service ace off of the hand of
Autumn Howard to level the match 1-1 with a 25-19 set win.
The close play continued into the third set with the squads knotted at 14-14. FHU would forge ahead with an 8-1 run to give the Lady Lions a 21-15 advantage.
Avery Harris took advantage of an over-pass and smacked the set-winning kill to end the 25-23 set.
Hoping to avoid a second five-set match, the Lady Lions fought to end the match in the fourth frame, collecting 10 kills in the fourth set. The Hornets would attempt a comeback late in the match, sparking a 6-1 run to cut FHU's lead to 19-15. Undeterred, Freed-Hardeman collected the final five points thanks in part to the blocking duo of Hackett and Jackson, closing the book on a 25-20 win.
Catherine Hackett paced the Lady Lion offense, tallying 10 kills to bring her three-match total to 29.
Ann Elise Jackson showed her prowess at the net, swatting six blocks.
Charley Fulton led the back row with 17 kills, while
Masey Kate Adams collected 35 assists.
