JOPLIN, Mo. - The Ouachita Baptist University Lady Tigers volleyball team (7-1) continued its strong start to the 2017 campaign with a 2-1 performance at the Lions Inivitational, picking up wins over Maryville and Chadron State while dropping a decision to host Missouri Southern. 

In Friday's opener against Maryville, the Lady Tigers picked up a 3-0 win on set scores of 25-21, 25-14, and 26-24. 

Paige Williams and Kori Bullard led the way with 11 kills apiece, with Bullard hitting .360 for the match. Katie Camp hit .429 with six kills. Stormi Leonard dished out a match-best 33 assists, while Nikki Clay had a solid defensive performance with 21 digs. 

Ouachita outhit Maryville .243 to .096 for the match, turning in a .310 percentage in the second set. 

Saturday's opener saw the Lady Tigers suffer their first loss of the season, a 3-1 setback to Missouri Southern. Set scores were 16-25, 22-25, 25-20, and 13-25. 

Bullard's 16 kills led Ouachita, as did her .452 hitting percentage. Williams (12) and Adrianna Nolly (10) also hit double figures in kills. Leonard's 45 assists led the Lady Tigers, and Clay's 15 digs were a match high. 

Despite hitting a respectable .272 for the match - including hitting at a .484 clip in the second set, the Lady Tigers were unable to overcome a red-hot hitting performance by MSSU, who hit .370 for the match after hitting .655 in the opening set. The Ouachita blocking performance was solid, however, as Nolly was in on four blocks and both Bullard and Tabatha Huckabee were in on three. 

In the tournament finale, the Lady Tigers got back into the win column with a 3-0 win over Chadron State, winning 25-23, 26-24, and 25-19. 

Huckabee's 12 kills and .524 hitting percentage led the way for Ouachita, while Leonard's 35 assists and Mack's 16 digs were match highs. 

Ouachita outhit Chadron State .316 to .202 for the match, including a match-best .357 hitting percentage in the final set.

The Lady Tigers return to action on Tuesday, Sept. 12, hosting Arkansas-Monticello in the team's Great American Conference opener. A 6:30 p.m. match is scheduled.