Sat, Nov 21, 2009 - [Volleyball]
CLEVELAND, Tenn. - The Freed-Hardeman Lady Lion volleyball team's season came to a close in the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round after a 3-1 loss to Lee (Tenn.) University on Saturday night.
All four sets were close. FHU took the set one, 25-23, but the No. 19 Lady Flames rebounded to take the next three sets by the scores of 25-22, 25-21, and 25-22.
TranSouth Conference Player of the Year Diana Silva had another outstanding night, recording 18 kills with a .459 hitting percentage. Nataly Gutierrez added 12 kills and Sydney Rice chipped in 10.
Both teams had the same amount of kills (53) for the match but Lee did a good job of countering FHU's attack at the net, getting 14 points off of blocks.
Senior Karim Raymond had six kills, 20 digs and three aces in her final match as a Lady Lion. Fellow senior Emily Hicks had nine digs.
The Lady Lions end the season with a 23-13 record and won both the TranSouth Conference regular season and tournament championships to earn their first trip to the national tournament.
Lee (33-5) advances to the NAIA National Volleyball Championships in Sioux City, Iowa, in the first week of December.
