HENDERSON — The Freed-Hardeman Univesrity Lady Lions walloped 34 service aces to end the first day of the 2024 Labor Day Invitational without dropping a set, sweeping the Tougaloo (Miss.) College Bulldogs 3-0 (25-16, 25-9, 25-15) before topping the Bulldogs of Fisk (Tenn.) University 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-20).

Game 1
FHU def. Tougaloo 3-0 (25-16, 25-9, 25-15)

After an early 3-3 tie, the Lady Lions (2-4) rattled off 10 unanswered points to storm, led by Adleigh Mayes' stellar run at the service line, collecting four consecutive service aces. The Bulldogs went on a run of their own to narrow the lead to 18-13; however, late big swings from Avery Harris, Alanys Ruíz Rivera, and Avery Young were capped by an ace from Harris to win the opening set 25-16.

The Lady Lions were dominant in the middle frame, with Audrey Orton taking residency behind the service line for a 10-point run where Orton tallied two aces with Ruiz Rivera smacking three kills over the Bulldogs (0-1). A kill from Morgan Jackson put a bow on the big 25-9 set win.

Back-to-back aces from Harris helped FHU ride the wave to a 25-15 set win to sweep the match.

FHU had 20 service aces in the win, three more than Tougaloo had kills. Alanys Ruiz Rivera collected a team-high six kills while Avery Harris led the service attack with seven aces. Alyssa Austin had 15 assists while Autumn Howard had eight digs.
 

---

Game 2
FHU def. Fisk 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-20)

Though the set scores were much tighter, the result was same with Freed-Hardeman (3-4) utilizing a late 7-2 run capped by an ace from Audrey Orton giving FHU an 18-13 lead. After trading scores, the Bulldogs knotted the set 20-20 before Orton's kill preceded an Avery Harris ace to help launch the Lacy Lions to a 25-23 set in.

The second set started fantastically for Fisk (3-8) after opening the set by scoring eight straight points. Undeterred, FHU continued battling until Alyssa Austin tallied back-to-back service aces to start a new set tied 13-13. Momentum continued on the Lady Lions' side with Adleigh Mayes anchoring a six-point swing. Orton put an end to the set with a kill to win 25-20.

Stringing together points was a boon for the Lady Lions all match, and the third set was no different when a 16-16 tie turned into at 21-16 lead for FHU after Alanys Ruíz Rivera cashed in on four straight service aces. Avery Young ended FHU's night with a smith with her kill winning the set and the match.

Alanys Ruíz Rivera had second first double-digit kill performance of the season with 11 while Audrey Orton eared her second with 10 kills. Alyssa Austin helped out with 16 assists with Charley Fulton tallying as many digs.
 

---

Up Next

The Lady Lions will finish the invitational on August 31 with matches at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. against a pair of former Mid-South Conference foes in the University of Pikeville (Ky.) and Tennessee Southern.