DALLAS– The Lions secured a 3-1 victory over the Milwaukee Panthers on Friday afternoon during day two of the SMU Doubletree Classic.

The Lions struck first, extending their lead with back-to-back kills by Paige Flickinger to make it 4-3. The teams battled through five ties before the Panthers strung together three consecutive points to pull ahead, 12-9. From there, the Lions only managed three more points as Milwaukee took the first set, 25-12.

Set two was tightly contested early, with neither team holding more than a two-point lead until a four-point run, capped by a kill from Kaitlyn Evans, gave LMU an 8-4 advantage, prompting a Milwaukee timeout. The Lions came out strong after the break, with Leah Burrell and Flickinger contributing three straight kills, forcing another Panthers timeout. Milwaukee later closed the gap with a 4-0 run but committed back-to-back attack errors, allowing LMU to maintain a 14-10 lead. As the set drew to a close, a kill from Olivia Toland secured the set for LMU at 25-21.

In the third set, LMU took advantage of four Panthers attack errors, combining with a Flickinger kill for five straight points. Milwaukee responded with a 5-0 run to take an 8-6 lead. The set remained tight until a kill from Sophia Meyers sparked an eight-point surge for LMU, pushing them to a commanding 22-13 lead. The Lions closed out the set, 25-15.

LMU carried that momentum into the fourth set, building an early 10-5 lead thanks to several three-point runs. Milwaukee closed the gap with a run of their own, narrowing LMU's lead to just two points. However, the Lions capitalized on four consecutive Panther errors to stretch their lead to 23-16. Despite a late rally from Milwaukee, a kill by Evans sealed the set, 25-19, and the match, 3-1.

The Lions' next match is tomorrow, Sept. 7, at 12 p.m., against the tournament host, SMU.

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