The Lindenwood women's volleyball team played host to the 2016 Lindenwood Invitational at Hyland Arena in St. Charles, Mo. on Friday.

The Lady Lions opened their season with a match against crosstown rival, Maryville. Lindenwood cruised to victory during the first two sets, winning by identical scores of 25-17. Set three provided a thrilling rally by the Lady Lions, who found themselves trailing the Saints 24-22 during the third set. Lindenwood registered three consecutive points to retake the lead 25-24. The two teams exchanged points during back-and-forth action, before Lindenwood put Maryville away, winning the third set by a final score of 30-28.

The duo of Jessica Krygsheld and Shannon Doyle tallied 24 of the team's 47 kills during the match. Allyson Clancy fueled the Lady Lions attack, recorded a team-leading 37 assists. Megan Hellwege provided a team-high 27 digs, while Alex Dahlstrom delivered four service aces, a match-high.

In all, the Lady Lions held the match advantage in kills (47-31), assists (43-29), digs (63-54), and service aces (9-2). The two squads each notched five blocks.  

During the second match of the day, Lindenwood played host to the Sioux Falls Cougars. The Lady Lions dropped the opening set by a score of 25-23, before rebounding with back-to-back victories in the second and third sets. Sioux Falls captured the fourth set, forcing a decisive fifth frame. The Lady Lions regained their form in the final set, prevailing by a score of 15-12, winning the match 3-2.

Jessica Krygsheld, Shannon Doyle, and Alex Dahlstrom registered 18, 16, and 15 kills, respectively. Allyson Clancy dished out 58 assists, leading all players. Megan Hellwege scooped up 17 digs, a game-high. Brandy Reinhardt stood tall on the front lines for the Lady Lions, recording four blocks.

In the end, the Lady Lions had the match advantage in kills (65-51), assists (62-46), digs (56-54) and service aces (7-4). Sioux Falls out blocked Lindenwood (14-6).

Lindenwood will return to action tomorrow for the second day of the 2016 Lindenwood Invitational. The Lady Lions will play tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. versus the Georgian Court Lions and at 7:00 p.m. versus the Missouri-St. Louis Tritons.