COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Lady Lions volleyball team showed resilience but ultimately fell to Columbia College 3-1 (22-25, 25-23, 27-25, 25-20) on Friday evening at Godbold Gymnasium.

The Lady Lions (2-23, 1-8) fought hard throughout the match, taking the first set and pushing Columbia to the limit in two others, but couldn't overcome a strong finishing performance from the Koalas (3-15, 3-6).

Bryan was led offensively by Shelby Kelly, who recorded a team-high 12 kills while adding six digs. Bella Beard contributed 10 kills with an impressive .333 hitting percentage, while Maddison Seabolt added eight kills on a .308 clip. Setter Maya Gipson orchestrated the offense with 24 assists and was a defensive presence with six digs.

Bryan came out firing in the opening set, overcoming an early 2-6 deficit to rally for a 25-22 victory. The Lions used a crucial 6-0 run midway through the set, keyed by Gipson's serving, to seize control. However, Columbia responded in the second set, building a commanding 21-16 lead before holding off a late Bryan surge to even the match at 1-1.

The third set proved to be the match's turning point. In a back-and-forth battle featuring 13 ties, Columbia edged out Bryan 27-25 after the Lions had rallied from a 6-11 deficit to tie the score at 25-25.

The Koalas carried momentum into the fourth set, racing to an 8-2 lead that Bryan could never overcome. Columbia's Debra Shephard was instrumental in the decisive set, serving an ace and orchestrating multiple scoring runs.

For Columbia, Tamia Fripp led all players with 19 kills and a .378 hitting percentage, while Destiny Brown dominated at the net with 13 kills and eight block solos. Maranda Bird added 10 kills in the winning effort.

The loss drops Bryan to 2-23 overall and 1-8 in conference play as the Lions continue their late-season road stretch. Bryan will look to regroup as they search for consistency down the final stretch of the season.