MCKENZIE, Tenn. — Visiting their rivals to the north, the Freed-Hardeman University Lady Lion volleyball team earned their first Mid-South Conference victory with a 3-1 (27-25, 21-25, 25-19, 25-21) win over the Bethel Wildcats.
The Lady Lions (10-13, 1-5 MSC) fell behind in the opening set when the Wildcats managed a 7-3 lead, but as has happened often - with
Alyssa Austin at the service line, FHU settles and makes a comeback. The Lady Lions scored five unanswered points with
Marija Cabadaj connecting for two kills, while
Marija Milic's kill gave FHU a 9-8 advantage. The Lady Lions would later see Milic land back-to-back aces to forge ahead to a 14-10 lead. Bethel would go on a run of their own, scoring six out of seven points later in the set to take an 18-17 lead. FHU finally got the 27-25 set win after
Teodora Dacic connected for back-to-back kills.
After the Wildcats (2-14, 0-6 MSC) leveled the match my winning the second set 25-21, it was another late push that gave the Lady Lions the edge. Milic teamed up with
Ana Coker to reject a Wildcat attack to knot the set 10-10. After that, the Lady Lions never allowed the Wildcats to hold service for longer than two rallies, eventually scoring the final five points of the set to win 25-19 thanks to kills from Dacic and
Becca Heineman.
Freed-Hardeman stormed into the fourth set, with
Audrey Satterfield joining in the attack. While
Olivia Saint returned to action with a kill that put the Lady Lions in the lead 13-4, the Wildcats slowly climbed back into the set. Late in the set, a five-point swing would narrow FHU's lead to 22-18 before the Lady Lions managed the final three points, with Satterfield's kill securing the league win.
The Lady Lions vastly out-killed the Wildcats, tallying 54 kills to Bethel's 35.
Teodora Dacic led the way with 13 kills, while
Marija Cabadaj followed with 11.
Hanaé Bezerga led the back row with nine digs while
Audrey Satterfield had five block assists and one solo stuff in the victory.
Â
Up Next
The second half of MSC play opens with a trip to Kentucky, where FHU faces the Georgetown Tigers on October 15 before visiting the Cumberlands Patriots on October 17
