FAIRHOPE, Alabama – The Foley Lady Lions picked up an important Class 6A Area 3 victory on Tuesday against the Fairhope Lady Pirates.

Foley (7-5, 1-0) defeated the Lady Pirates 25-19, 22-25, 25-8, 25-22 and will have a week off before returning to action at home against Area 3 rival Daphne on Sept. 11. Natasha Johnson had 16 digs and nine kills, Ashley Brokenshaw had 28 assists and five aces, Brittney Davis had 12 kills, Amanda Brett had 12 digs and Kelsey Cassebaum had seven kills for the Lady Lions in the win.

Foley head coach Wing Brett said he was pleased with the win but that his team had a few things to work on to be successful later in the season.

“I keep telling them that if they want to be a championship team they have to learn how to win even when it’s ugly,” Brett said. “We have a problem with that. When we struggle we have hard time getting out of it. But we’re learning.”

In the first game the Lions took the lead at 9-8 and never relinquished it. In the second, Fairhope got control late with after Foley tied it at 22. The Lady Pirates closed out the game on a 3-0 run.

The Lions opened the third game on a 6-0 run followed by a 10-0 run to take a 16-2 lead on the Lady Pirates before winning 25-8.

“We served tough, passed well, got some good blocks. It makes life easier when you do good things.”

Foley had to come from behind to close out the match win in the fourth game. The Lions trailed most of the way and fell behind 22-20 before ending the match on a 5-0 run to get the win.

“In game four we got behind and had made some bad decisions, but then we started making good decisions,” Brett said. “That’s part of learning how to play the sport at a higher level.”