CONWAY, Ark. — The Freed-Hardeman University Lady Lions nearly doubled the opposition's kill total in a sweep of the Central Baptist (Ark.) College Mustangs 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-15) on Friday. FHU slammed home 40 kills to CBC's 22.
The Lady Lions (7-7) used a pair of three-point swings to pull ahead of the Mustangs in the first set. After siding out,
Becca Heineman recorded an ace before
Olivia Saint's kill put the Lady Lions on top 5-4. A few rallies later, kills from
Marija Milic and
Marija Cabadaj surrounded a service ace from Hanaé Bezerga. Later in the set, Saint registered a block and two kills during a 5-0 run to push the Lady Lion lead to 19-11. Near the end of the set, Central Baptist narrowed the gap to one point, but
Alyssa Austin's kill gave FHU the 25-23 set win.
Ana Coker had the strong start in the second set, opening the frame with back-to-back kills. The fast start over the Mustangs (2-7) was extended when
Teodora Dacic's kill gave the Lady Lions a 7-1 advantage. Central Baptist again made things interesting late, going on an 8-1 run to take a 17-16 lead. Austin again helped push FHU to 25, with the final two points coming from a service ace and a kill to win the set 25-23.
In the final frame, it was CBC that had the fast start, taking a 13-10 lead. The Lady Lions dominated the rest of the set, winning 15 of the final 17 rallies. During the run, FHU saw blocks from Coker and Milic before Heineman slammed the door with four straight service aces.
Cate Schroer's kill closed the book on the sweep to win the third set 25-15.
The Lady Lions have been swinging well of late, hitting over .200 in four of their last five matches. The Lady Lions diversified their attack with 10 of the 13 players to touch the floor recording at least one kill.
FHU was led offensively by
Olivia Saint's nine kills, while
Becca Heineman's five aces led from the service line. Hanaé Bezerga led the defense with 10 digs.
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Up Next
The Lady Lions will face another familiar foe when the visit the Williams Baptist (Ark.) University Eagles on September 12.
FHU has already swept WBU once this season in the Labor Day Classic. T first serve from Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, is set for 2:00 p.m.
