The Lady Lions volleyball team went 1-1 on day one of the Lindenwood Invitational. The Lady Lions swept Union in the tournament's opening game, but they lost to Evangel in four sets in the final match of the night.

Lindenwood defeated Union by scores of 25-15, 25-20, and 25-19. The Lady Lions hit just under .300 for the match and forced a sideout on 70 percent of Union's serves. Defensively, Lindenwood recorded 56 digs and nine blocks, and held Union to a .150 hitting percentage.

Kelsey Jo Vogler and Kristy Dreisewerd each had a team-high 14 points. Vogler had 11 kills and a team-high six assisted blocks. Dreisewerd had a team-high 12 kills and recorded four assisted blocks. Emma Brydels and Ellen Fandry also had double-figure points. Brydels finished with eight kills, three blocks, and 23 assists. Fandry had 10 kills and one block. Those four players combined to hit .393 against Union.

Kelsey Biggs finished the match with 21 assists. On digs, Kaila Schrimpf had a team-high 17, one more than Fandry. Patsy Erb was also in double-figures in digs.

An injury turned out to be the turning point of Evangel's 26-24, 15-25, 34-32, and 25-23 victory over Lindenwood. The Lady Lions appeared to take control of the contest after a lopsided win in the second set. Lindenwood's Fandry was injured late in that set though, and the Crusaders quickly regained momentum with three straight aces early in the third set. In both the final two sets, the Lady Lions had big comeback attempts after falling behind early, but both rallies came up short.

Lindenwood had more kills and a better hitting percentage for the match. However, in Evangel's three set victories, the Lady Lions made 29 hitting errors.

Kelsey Kennedy led Lindenwood with 16 kills against the Crusaders, and four other players had at least seven kills. Brydels had a team-high 27 assists, and Biggs finished with 25. Six players had double-figure digs led by Schrimpf with 24. Weber had a hand in five blocks to lead Lindenwood in that category.

Lindenwood goes to 8-7 on the season after splitting the first day of the Lindenwood Invitational. On Saturday, the Lady Lions will take on McKendree at noon and St. Francis at 2 p.m.