WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Freshman Britt Sederholm sparked an upset win over No. 5 Wheeling Jesuit University as the Saint Leo University volleyball team took a 3-1 victory. The Lions upended WJU (19-2) to improve to 10-7 on the season as the Cardinals were handed their second loss of their 2014 campaign.
Sederholm ended the match with a career-high 14 kills at a torrid .400 attack percentage, contributing nine digs, five blocks and a service ace for a rounded effort. Lauren Campbell provided the dual threat with 11 kills to her credit as fellow senior Tawni Warren ended with 10 kills.
The defense was once again anchored by reigning Sunshine State Conference Defensive Player of the Week Yaidimar Santiago as the libero totaled 23 digs. Campbell posted her second consecutive double-double effort with a season-high 17 digs to balance her 11 kills. The defensive duo limited the No. 5 team to a .151 attack clip across four hard-fought sets.
Saint Leo totaled a season-high 13 blocks to stymie Wheeling Jesuit. Middle blocker Jillian Stolzenburg stopped seven to lead the squad while Sederholm notched five in her breakout performance.
The Cardinals propelled to an early 11-3 lead as the Lions' offense was unable to regroup in the first set. WJU took the premier frame 25-11 over Saint Leo to begin the match.
Sederholm ignited the second set comeback, as the Lions took the stanza 25-22. The freshman grounded three kills and blocked three as the Saint Leo squad needed a spark after the first set. Alexa Griffith-Hardy returned to form, hitting a scorching 4-for-5 in kills. Defensively, Santiago picked up nine digs to compliment three blocks from Stolzenburg.
Saint Leo carried its momentum into the third set with a 25-20 victory. Stolzenburg stopped three at the net while Santiago added another five digs. Sederholm paced the offense with four kills as the Cardinals were unable to stop the Saint Leo barrage.
The Lions carried their balanced offense into the fourth stanza, earning a decisive 25-17 win. Santiago concluded with five digs as Sederholm finished off the Cardinals with a seven-kill showing in the fourth set.
The Lions will continue the Pepsi Bash at the Beach hosted by Palm Beach Atlantic with a 4 p.m. contest against Cedarville. Live stats as well as a live video webcast will be available through www.saintleolions.com.
For more information on the Saint Leo volleyball program, visit SaintLeoLions.com. Also, be sure to 'Like' the Lions on Facebook and 'Follow' Saint Leo Athletics on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
