CLEVELAND, Tenn. — Campbellsville didn't fare well against a couple of NCAA Div. II teams on the first day of the Lee Volleyball Invitational, dropping three-set matches to both Southern Wesleyan and the tournament hosts.

25-18, 25-20 and 25-16

The Lady Tigers were plagued by slow starts in two of the three sets and could not energize a comeback.

Wesleyan held a 47-29 kill advantage, 17-7 in the first set when the Warriors pulled away from a 4-4 tie to score eight of the set's next 11 points.

In set two, CU fell behind 6-1 and drew within 15-13 before Wesleyan put on another surge and went on a 7-3 run to distance itself.

Campbellsville fell behind 10-2 to start the third set and pulled within 15-12 on a Jana Kortas kill. But a service error and then an attack error gave the Warriors the breathing room they needed.

Kortas had seven kills and nine digs in the match. Jade Nelson led CU with eight kills on a .375 hitting percentage. Jackie Schwieger had 15 assists, but the Lady Tigers were on the losing end of a 44-23 advantage by Wesleyan in that statistical category.

Sara Hughey (13), Alysia Cruell (11) and Cherilyn Ramsey (11) had double-figure kills for Wesleyan

Lee (4-5, 3-3) 3, Campbellsville (5-13, 1-4 MSC) 0

25-23, 25-16 and 25-20

Campbellsville was out-killed 43-30, out-assisted 40-26 and out-dug 57-48 in its three-set nightcap loss.

Jana Kortas' kill drew the Lady Tigers within 24-23 in set one, but a service error by Brooklyn Bowling on set point sealed CU's fate.

After that emotional loss, Lee was able to pull away in both set two and three. The Flames went on 4-0 and a 13-8 runs that proved to be the knockout punch.

The Lady Tigers trailed 20-17 in set three when Bowling collected her fifth kill, but Latrice Johnson ended the match with four kills in the match's final five points.

Annija Abolina led CU with nine kills, seven by Kortas. Abolina also led the team in digs with 12. Schwieger had 23 assists.

Matches in the Lee University Invitational continue tomorrow at 11:45 a.m. against Bryan College and at 4:15 against Kentucky Wesleyan.

You can follow Lady Tiger Volleyball through Twitter @CvilleTigers and @CUTigerVball, on the web at www.campbellsvilletigers.com and on Facebook — Campbellsville Tigers.