Lee Volleyball falls in season-opener

LEESBURG — Lee County showed flashes of what it can become Tuesday night as the Lady Trojans opened the 2026 volleyball season with a pair of tough tests at home.

With head coach Tondra Davis back after a year away from the program, Lee County fell to Brookstone in straight sets before pushing Lowndes to three sets. The Lady Trojans won the opener against Lowndes 25-23 before the Lady Vikings rallied to take the final two, 25-21 and 15-8.

For Davis, facing strong competition immediately was no accident.

“Although we have been working diligently since June, playing good teams such as Brookstone and Lowndes helps us refine areas that they expose,” Davis said. “Brookstone showed us every weakness we had. The first set was decent, but our confidence, morale and fight went out the door in the second set.”

The Lady Trojans responded with a much stronger performance against Lowndes.

Jada Ridley helped Lee grab an early advantage in the opening set, while Leila Perkins later served the Lady Trojans to four straight points and a 14-11 lead.

Lowndes rallied to move ahead 18-16, but Carly Harris stopped the run with a kill. With Ragan Selman serving, Lee regained a 20-18 advantage after Zhniyah Black delivered a kill.

The teams battled to a 23-23 tie before Ridley hammered a kill to give Lee set point. Mayce Roberts then served the final point as the Lady Trojans closed out the 25-23 victory.

Lee carried that momentum into the second set. With Roberts serving, Ridley delivered three consecutive kills, and Lindsey Kate Starr later helped the Lady Trojans build a 7-2 advantage.

Lee appeared in control at 15-9 before Lowndes senior Abby O’Neal changed the match.

O’Neal served the Lady Vikings to 11 consecutive points, turning Lee’s six-point lead into a 20-15 deficit. The Lady Trojans fought back to within 20-19 but couldn’t regain the lead as Lowndes held on for a 25-21 victory.

The Lady Vikings carried that momentum into the deciding set, using strong serving and solid play at the net to pull away for a 15-8 win.

“We picked it up against Lowndes, but it is true when they say volleyball is a game of errors because we decided to make too many,” Davis said. “I felt that caused a huge shift. After that, I believe mentally we couldn’t get it back.”

Despite beginning the season with two losses, Davis believes opening night provided exactly the kind of lessons the Lady Trojans can use moving forward.

“Overall, we have to work on limiting errors, being consistent through adversity and finishing,” Davis said. “No one likes a loss or two, but it will help us in so many ways.”