BOCA RATON, Fla. – Saint Leo women's volleyball out-hit and out-blocked host Lynn University and posted a 3-0 Sunshine State Conference win over the host Fighting Knights, Saturday afternoon at the de Hoernle Center.
Set scores for the Lions were 25-18, 25-22, and 25-23.
Senior pin hitter Alexa Griffith-Hardy paced the Lions with 14 kills on 26 swings for a .385 attack percentage, while senior outside hitter Lauren Campbell charted 10 kills. Junior middle Jillian Stolzenburg tallied eight kills and had a hand in four blocks.
Senior setter Rachel Olliff tallied 26 assists while junior setter Ashlee Hodgskin finished with 15 assists; together they ran a Saint Leo offense that hit at a .265 clip over the three-set match.
Senior libero Yaidimar Santiago and Campbell each turned up 14 digs for the Lions.
Lynn fired at a .160 hitting percentage - bottoming out at a .085 attack clip in the third set – while committing 20 attack errors during the match.
Elyse Fleck paced the Fighting Knights offensively with 12 kills on 25 swings, while Claire Angelich tallied nine terminations.
After trailing early in the first set, Saint Leo notched three straight points to break a 7-7 tie and take a lead they held the rest of the set. A Campbell kill started the rally, with a Warren solo block and a Stolzenburg ace continuing the run.
Another three-point Saint Leo got the Lions to set point, and a Sederholm kill off a set by Hodgskin gave the Lions a 1-0 lead.
Set two was a much tighter affair, with the outcome still in doubt at 21-21. Back-to-back kills by Griffith-Hardy and Sederholm vaulted the Lions into a 23-21 lead, but Lynn interrupted Saint Leo's march with a kill by Katie Knight. A side out kill by Griffith-Hardy put Saint Leo on set point, 24-22, with a Lynn attack error completing the Lions' win in the set.
The third set was nearly a mirror of set two, with neither team able to pull away by more than a point or two before being reeled in. Saint Leo saw a two-point lead at 22-20 disappear on a kill by Fleck and a Lion attack error, tying the match at 22-22.
A pair of side out kills advanced the score to 23-23, with a solo block by Sederholm getting the Lions to match point. Campbell proceeding to put down a kill on the ensuing serve by Sederholm to complete the win in the match.
The win was Saint Leo's third straight and improved the Lions' record to 17-8 overall, 6-4 in the Sunshine State Conference. Lynn University fell to 10-11 overall, 3-7 in conference play.
Saint Leo returns home for two matches next weekend, starting with a matchup on Friday, Oct. 31, with Eckerd College at 7:00 p.m. in the Marion Bowman Activities Center. The Lions complete the brief home stand on Saturday, Nov. 1, when they host the University of Tampa at 4:00 p.m.
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.
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