The Lady Lions traveled to Union College Tuesday to compete in their first conference match. The match continued the run of 5-game matches between the two schools. The teams have battled to five games in five of their last six meetings, and last night was no exception. However, the Lions fell just short of a rousing-come-from-behind bid, 25-30, 17-30, 30-28, 31-29, 13-15.

            Captain Abby Humphrey returned to the lineup Tuesday but struggled to get her touch back throughout the match. Despite struggling offensively in game 1, the Lions were close at 24-23 before the Bulldogs put on a 6-2 run to finish the game. Game two started out worse, and the Lions found themselves down by as many as 14 before the game was over.   

            A lineup change in game three seemed to settle the team down. Offensively, the Lions rallied behind MB Amber Smith and MB Robin Renfroe, who guided them to the 30-28 win. 

            As game four started, it appeared the Lions were going to fold. The Bulldogs served tough and found holes in the Lions serve-receive. The Bryan team found themselves down 21-11, but began to chip away after Coach Sayles used his final timeout. The Lions caught Union at 28-28, and won 31-29. 

            The two teams battled to a 7-7 tie in game five, but the Lions were caught in a tough spot of the lineup. The Bulldogs were prepared to put the match away at 14-9, but tough serving from Amber Smith and great team play allowed the Lions to draw within 1 at 14-13. After a long rally, the Bulldogs escaped with a 15-13 win on a hitting error.

            The Lions were led by the play of their younger players throughout the match. The middle block tandem of Amber Smith and Robin Renfroe was almost unstoppable. The girls combined for more than half the Lions offensive output. Smith finished with 18 kills, .382 pct with only 5 errors. She also contributed 5 blocks and 12 digs. Renfroe was nearly flawless in the middle, tallying 16 kills with an unbelievable .536 pct and only 1 error. She also contributed on 4 blocks. Freshman Libero Heather Hacker breaks into the national scene by cracking into the 30 Dig club, finishing with 31. Setter Jennifer Loveday tallied 41 assists and 9 assists.

            The Lions travel to North Carolina this weekend for matches against Montreat, Brevard, and Brewton-Parker College.