CLEVELAND, Tenn. - Valdosta State volleyball's lengthy road trip started on a sour note on Friday night in Cleveland, Tenn., as the Blazers suffered a 3-1(22-25, 25-21, 21-25, 21-25) loss to the Flames of Lee University.

The Blazers outscored the Flames 25-21 in the second set, but Lee outlasted VSU in the remaining three frames, despite 20-plus points in each of those three sets by Valdosta State.

Valdosta State posted a strong defensive effort statistically with 14 block assists, two solo blocks, and 73 digs. The Blazers toppled the Flames in both block assists and digs, while the two teams tied in solo blocks. VSU struggled to find momentum on their serve receive however, which allowed Lee to rack up nine service aces in the contest.

The Flames outhit the Blazers by a narrow margin of .177 against VSU's .139 hitting percentage. Lee scored when it counted, however, which helped the Flames score the victory and improve to 16-6 overall and 7-3 in conference play. Meanwhile, the Blazers fell under .500 in conference play at 5-6 and dropped to 10-12 overall.

Next up for the red and black, it's a quick turnaround to a Saturday matchup against the Shorter Hawks in Rome, Ga. First serve is slated for 2:00 p.m., and live coverage will be provided at www.vstateblazers.com.