SOUIX CITY, Iowa - Lee's volleyball team bit off several pieces of history in the opening round of pool play on Tuesday afternoon, stunning seventh-ranked Columbia College (Mo.), 3-0 in the Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena.
The Lady Flames jumped all over the Cougars in the opening set and never looked back in whipping a two-time NAIA national champion, 25-18, 25-14, 25-22. It marked the first time Lee has won in the opening round of pool play. It also was the first time that the Lady Flames have been able to defeat Columbia in four meetings, and it was the first time in seven straight matches that the Cougars had lost even a set.
Lee faces what coach Andrea Hudson calls probably even a stronger test on Wednesday when it faces Georgetown College in a match slated for 2 p.m.
(EST). Georgetown coasted past Lubbock Christian in other Pool F action on Tuesday.
"We were focused on shutting down their two strongest hitters," said Hudson after the stunning upset. The move by the veteran coach apparently worked to perfection. The Lady Flames held one of the country's hottest-hitting teams to .070. "They had their shots, but we did a good job of containing them," she said.
Lee dominated play at the net as it has in several late-season matches and improved to 34-5 on the year. It was only the third defeat for the 37-3 Cougars. The strong net play was paced by Kayla Carlisle (.385 hitting percentage) with six kills and four blocks. Stephanie Todd came up with seven kills, 18 digs and two blocks.
Vedrana Krsmanovic also sparkled with five kills (.471 hitting percentage) and five big blocks. Jacky Toruno and Milica Krsmanovic kicked in with five kills each and Toruno added three blocks. Gretchen Higdon was the assist leader with 15, while Sara Smith countered with 11 digs.
"We did an excellent job of receiving their serves," noted Hudson. "We stressed this point going into the tournament and our girls responded. I'm very proud of them. I told them making a mark on history should give us a boost going into the rest of pool play." Two wins in three pool play matches should qualify the Lady Flames for the single elimination tournament which gets underway on Friday. That's a feat that Lee has never accomplished.
The story of the day had to be Carlisle. On Sunday, the outstanding middle-blocker was injured after an accidental fall from one of the Lee vans. "She didn't practice at all and we didn't know until game time if she would be able to play," admitted Hudson. "We took Kayla to the chiropractor twice and she received a lot of treatment right up until the time of the match on the injured back area. The way Kayla responded in today's match was amazing."
For the losing Cougars, Nicole Murphy was credited with 10 kills and Cate Eckhardt joined Maria Omondi with eight slams apiece. Tally Mattos had 18 digs and Monica Dos Santos produced 15. Paula Ferreira contributed 28 assists.
While Lee faces Georgetown on Wednesday, Columbia will try to keep its tournament hopes alive against once-beaten Lubbock Christian.