HENDERSON — With the Brewer Sports Center decked out in orange to support JV volleyball player
Bozeman in her fight against leukemia, the Freed-Hardeman University Lady Lions swept through the Rust (Miss.) College Lady Bearcats 3-0 (25-10, 25-20, 25-15) on Tuesday night.
Utilizing her depth, Coach Amanda Bretherick debuted a new starting rotation for the Lady Lions (9-10) that featured
Hanaé Bezerga and
Laila Howard both wearing the libero jersey. The set began close enough, with both teams tied at 5-5 until
Alyssa Austin took over at the service line. She helped lead the Lady Lions on a 10-0 run that featured three service aces, three kills from
Marija Cabadaj and two from
Marija Milic that ended with FHU leading 15-5. For the remainder of the set, the hosts would not allow the Lady Bearcats to get comfortable until a kill from
Allie Lowhorn wrapped the first set with a 25-10 win. The Lady Lions were clinical on the attack, connecting for 15 kills in the set at a .367 percentage.
The second set was much more competitive with Rust (1-15) scoring four points in the middle of the set to take a 14-11 lead. The Lady Lions righted the ship with kills from
Audrey Satterfield and
Hope Breen before Cabadaj's kill put FHU on top 16-14 and forced a Rust timeout. Breen and Cabadaj anchored a four-point swing late in the set before
Teodora Dacic closed the book on the 25-20 victory with a kill.
Two points from the guests started the second set, but Milic took over at the service line to lead FHU on a 7-0 run that included three service aces. Breen joined Milic with kills in the middle of the set before FHU's middles stood tall.
Katelyn Husband, Satterfield, and Breen all recorded blocks in the final push before finishing the victory in straight sets with a 25-15 win.
As a team, the Lady Lions were in a different league that the Lady Bearcats, recording 42 kills to Rust's seven.
Marija Cabadaj led FHU's attack with nine kills, followed by
Morgan Jackson's seven. Both attackers were precise with Cabadaj swinging .368 and Jackson connecting at an astounding .583 on 12 swings in the match.
Marija Milic planted a team-high six service aces in the sweep, while
Becca Heineman led the back row with eight digs.
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Up Next
The Lady Lions return to the Brewer Sports Center to return to Mid-South Conference play as they host the Georgetown Tigers on October 2 at 6:00 p.m.
