CONWAY, Ark. — The Freed-Hardeman University Lady Lions volleyball staved off wave after wave of furious Central Baptist (Ark.) College rallies, but ultimately reigned victorious in straight sets 3-0 (28-26, 26-24, 25-23).
It was a hot start for the Lady Lions (5-5), who opened by scoring seven of the first even points with a service ace from
Audrey Orton forcing a Mustang timeout leading 6-1. FHU kept their foot on the pedal defensively by forcing CBC errors to the point where FHU was leading 17-7. The former American Midwest Conference foe Mustangs began an intense rally, ultimately knotting the game 21-21. From there the two traded points into extra time with kills from
Alanys Ruíz Rivera and
Cate Schroer sealing the deal on a 28-26 set win for FHU.
The middle frame opened in the same vein, with the Lady Lions boasting a 10-2 lead over the Mustangs (0-2). A block and a kill from the blue and white tied the set 12-12. Again, the two teams would require extra points to determine the set winner, but Ruiz Rivera was joined by
Catherine Hackett to smash the 25th and winning 26th point.
Autumn Howard forced a CBC timeout early in the third set by tallying back-to-back aces. The Mustangs; however, rallied to tie the set 11-11 after a pair of Lady Lion errors. CBC would eventually take a 20-18 lead before FHU's front row exploded with kills from Ruiz Rivera, Schroer, and
Audrey Orton. Schroer's kill brought up match point where
Adleigh Mayes landed a service ace to claim victory.
The tight match featured 21 ties and five lead changes which saw the squads combine for 87 kills. The big helper for the Lady Lions was their service attack, landing seven aces in the win.
Alanys Ruíz Rivera led the charge by picking up her second double-double in three matches with 15 kills and 10 digs.
Cate Schroer was just behind with nine kills.
Adleigh Mayes tallied 22 assists while Charley Futlon grabbed 15 digs.
Up Next
The Lady Lions open Mid-South Conference play when perennial rival Bethel University comes to Henderson. The Lady Lions host the Lady Wildcats on Tuesday, September 10 at 7:00 p.m.
