SAINT LEO, Fla. – A Friday evening Sunshine State Conference match against No. 3 Tampa ends in a 3-2 loss for the Lions (25-15, 19-25, 25-23, 19-25, 15-13). In addition to an exciting game, the five-set  performance was met with a proud Friday night crowd and a near upset for the Lions.

After a first set loss, the Lions rebounded in the second set to tie the match at one. A surprised Tampa defense was caught off guard as the Lions took the first point in set two and built off the momentum.

Despite the No. 3 ranking of the Tampa Spartans, the spotlight was on the Lions' junior outside hitter, Alexa Griffith-Hardy, as she shattered her previous career-high of 10 kills by collecting 18 in the five-set heartbreaker. Her offensive effort went unmatched by the Spartans.

In addition to Griffith-Hardy's success, the Lions' junior outside hitter Lauren Campbell collected a double-double with 14 kills and 10 digs. After being sidelined for a big portion of the season, senior middle blocker Jordan Sisson made quite the return to the court as she collected 10 kills. Defensively, junior libero Yaidimar Santiago tallied 19 digs. Senior setter Jaclyn Mailoto notched 52 assists, leading setters for both sides.

Despite the loss, the Lions and Spartans were evenly matched in kills and nearly matched in hitting percentage and total attacks.

The 10-5 Lions will return to play tomorrow afternoon when they take on the visiting Rollins College Tars. The match is slated to begin at 4 p.m. 

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