CARROLLTON, Ga. – UWG volleyball won the first match of an important four-match week, after defeating the Lee Flames 3-1 on Tuesday night to get their 10th win of the season.
 
UWG (10-18, 3-10) turned in their best hitting performance of the year, finishing with a season-high 56 kills on a .224 hitting percentage to help propel themselves over Lee (7-21,4-8) who finished with 45 kills on a .149 hitting percentage.
 
Set one was tight all the way to the end, beginning with the Wolves winning the race to 10 by two points. The teams would trade points, with UWG holding on to a two-point lead at 15-13 after a kill from Sarah Pipping midway through. Moments later, a Marley Staats and Isabella Steffel block gave West Georgia their largest lead of the set at 22-18, before the Flames quickly answered by using a 4-1 run to cut the Wolves' lead down to 23-22 and forced coach Kara Hellmann to burn a timeout. Out of the timeout, Caitlin Frazee collected two quick kills to clinch the set for UWG 25-23.

Lee got out to a fast start in the second set, taking a 13-9 lead on West Georgia. A couple of kills from Staats kept the Wolves within reach, but UWG saw themselves down 16-11, as coach Hellmann used her first timeout of the set. West Georgia responded in a big way out of the timeout, as a kill from Emilee Harris sparked a 7-2 run to tie the game at 18. All knotted up at 18, the Flames went on a 7-1 run to win the set 25-19.

Set three was competitive to start as we saw the game all tied at 10 to begin, until a block from Frazee and Sanai Young began a 9-3 run for West Georgia to give the Wolves a 19-13 lead late. Down 19-13, Lee used their second timeout of the set and threw a massive counterpunch, going on a 6-1 run to get right back in the set. With the score reading 20-19 in the all-important third set, Pipping and Frazee would score four of the Wolves next five points to win the set for UWG, 25-22.

Riding off the momentum of a big third set win, West Georgia marched out to a 12-7 lead in the fourth set, immediately putting Lee on their heels. The flames responded, by scoring the next two points to cut their deficit to three, but that's as close as Lee would get as another kill from Staats sparked a huge 11-4 run to give the Wolves a 23-13 lead. The Flames wouldn't lay down, using a 3-1 run to hang around in the set until Staats' 11^th kill of the match won the set and ended an 11-match losing streak for UWG.

Frazee turned in her best performance of her career, tying her career-high with 13 kills on a .375 hitting percentage and five blocks. Pipping also accumulated 12 kills on a .194 hitting percentage, while Staats picked up 11 kills on a career-high .391 hitting percentage and three blocks.
 
West Georgia will be back in action on Friday when they visit Jackson, Tennessee for conference matchup against the Union Bulldogs that's set for 8:00 p.m.