After dropping three of four matches opening weekend, the Lions returned to action last Friday at the South Central Classic in Ada, Okla.

Looking to bounce back, the Lions opened the weekend against the Cowgirls of New Mexico Highlands. The Lions bounced back in winning fashion as they completed the sweep of the Cowgirls. The first two sets were hard fought as the Lions executed late and pulled away for set wins. As for the third set, the Lions dominated from start to finish. Senior Katie Politte led the team with 12 kills, seven digs and five blocks, while hitting .286 in the match. Krishna Merriman contributed with eight kills and eight digs, while Abby Finder dished out 30 assists and 13 digs. Kaite Wiele had a match-high 15 digs, while Callie Whetstone added five blocks.

The second match of the day was against host East Central. Riding high off a sweep, the Lions beat East Central in five sets. East Central is a struggling team, but they gave the Lions a run for their money, winning the second and third sets quite comfortably. The Lions won the fourth set easily, forcing a startling fifth set. The Lions would go on to win the fifth set and finished 2-0 in Friday’s action.

“We just needed to relax and play our game,” said Merriman. “Have fun and have lots of energy. That’s when we play our best.”

The Lions won six of eight sets Friday, looking impressive and firing on all cylinders. Saturday’s action would prove to be not as pleasant for the Lions as they were swept by both Southern Nazarene and Southeastern Oklahoma.

The Lions “didn’t talk as much and we didn’t seem to have quite as much energy as we normally do,” said Monica White. “We had a long day.”

Against Southern Nazarene, the Lions battled hard, keeping sets within striking distance. Southern Nazarene was able to put together key rallies and finish sets stronger than the Lions. Southeastern Oklahoma, on the other hand, looked sharp all around and outplayed the Lions convincingly.

“Our communication and energy levels weren’t quite where they needed to be today,” said Merriman.

“Yesterday we had a great blocking day, today not so much,” said White. “Today’s opponents made the adjustments they needed; we just didn’t make the adjustments we needed to make.”

The Lions finish this weekend’s action 2-2 with an overall record of 3-5.

“I would say overall it was a pretty good weekend for us,” said White. “We improved on a lot but still have some things to work on.”

The Lions are back in action today against Fort Hays State. First serve is at 7 p.m. at Fort Hays.