McKENZIE, Tenn. – A day after avoiding elimination with a thrilling five-set victory, Martin Methodist nearly pulled off another miraculous comeback in a 3-1 (16-25; 18-25; 25-21; 25-12) loss to Freed-Hardeman Tuesday afternoon at the 2012 TranSouth Volleyball Championships at Bethel (Tenn.) University.

Needing a win to advance to Tuesday afternoon's championship match, the RedHawks (10-23) fell behind 2-0 early, but rallied for a 25-21 win in the match's third game. Unfortunately for the RedHawks, however, they would be unable to capitalize off their fourth-game victory, falling behind 5-0 early in the fourth and ultimate deciding game. From there, the Lady Lions would score 21 of the game's next 31 points to earn a commanding 22-9 lead that eventually ballooned to the eventual 25-12 final tally.

Flavia Costa and Ya Zhao, who were honored as All-TranSout performers during Monday's awards ceremony, led the RedHawks with 15 and 12 kills on 42 and 39 total attacks, respectively. The duo also combined for an impressive nine block assists. Katelyn Hill led the RedHawks with seven total block assists.

Blaise Winterburn also had a solid performance off the bench for the RedHawks, recording four kills on 15 total attacks.

Defensively, Sophia Paes, who was also named an All-TranSouth performer, led the way with 11 digs to go along with 29 total assists. No other RedHawk recorded more than one assist in the loss.

Fernanda Ferriera, the 2012 TranSouth Player of the Year, recorded 20 kills on 39 total attacks in the win for the Lady Lions, who defeated the RedHawks 3-0 on Monday to advance to the tournament's winner's bracket semifinal matchup against Bethel.

The loss brings an end to an up-and-down season for the RedHawks, who fielded a roster mainly composed of freshmen and sophomores. Lais Soares was the club's lone senior.