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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

NORTH SHELBY – After an impressive weekend at the Juanita Boddie tournament, the Briarwood Christian Lions continued to roll to start the season with a pair of wins at a home tri-match.

Briarwood defeated the Leeds Green Wave and the Altamont Knights in two-set sweeps on Tuesday, Aug. 27 at Briarwood Christian School.

The Lions started out the afternoon with a showdown against Leeds, a fellow Class 5A side from the Birmingham area, giving them a good look at how they stack up against another 5A team.

In the first set against the Green Wave, Briarwood faced a close challenge but stayed in front during the final points to seal the win.

The Lions won the set 25-20 and with it took a 1-0 lead in the match.

From there, Briarwood improved in the second set and pulled away for an even greater lead to take the win.

The 25-15 win in the second set sealed the 2-0 sweep and take another win without giving up a set.

The Lions used the momentum from that sweep to seal another one to end the night, this time against Altamont.

Briarwood took a commanding lead in the match and never looked back as it went on to win the first set 25-11.

After winning the opening frame by 14 points, the Lions also took a double-digit lead in the second set that paved the way for a victory.

Briarwood’s 25-14 win in the second set secured the 2-0 match win, ensuring for the second straight tri-match, it would walk away without dropping a single set.

Julie Roberts led the way for the Lions offense with 14 kills across both legs of the tri-match. As for the defense, Clara Crawford racked up five blocks to make an impact up front at the net.

Leighton Hendley secured seven digs to lead the team in that category, and Sailor Eighmy was right behind her with six digs.

Briarwood will play its first five-set match of the season on Thursday, Aug. 29 as it welcomes fellow Class 5A county side Montevallo to Briarwood Christian School. First serve is set for 6 p.m.