WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Saint Leo University volleyball team dropped a four-set effort to No. 21 Palm Beach Atlantic University by a 3-1 score in the Rubin Arena, Thursday evening. The Lions fall to 18-10 on the season while the hosting Sailfish improve to 27-3.
Right side hitter Alexa Griffith-Hardy led the charge, posting 13 kills while outside hitter Lauren Campbell smacked nine, a kill shy of a double-double. Senior Tawni Warren swatted seven kills to round out the Saint Leo attack.
Defensively, the Lions relied on the trio of libero Yaidimar Santiago, outside hitter Hope Lemon and Campbell to anchor the back row. Santiago pushed the single-season dig mark to 578 after a 24 dig performance. Campbell and Lemon picked up 16 and 13 digs, respectively.
The Sailfish offense was led by junior Faith Rohn and freshman Sarah Ragland. Rohn blasted 18 kills while middle Ragland swung 14 kills at .400 clip. PBA turned to libero Rachel Holehouse defensively, as the junior notched 21 digs.
PBA took the first set, rallying behind the offensive efforts of Rohn. The Sailfish outside hitter peppered five kills in the first set en route to a 25-19 win. Griffith-Hardy and Jillian Stolzenburg each grounded three kills while Campbell led the defense with seven digs.
The Lions battled to a 25-23 second set victory to even the match. Right side Griffith-Hardy unloaded a five-kill salvo while Santiago limited the Sailfish to a .048 attack percentage with eight digs. Saint Leo jumped to a 3-0 lead to begin the frame and continued to chip away at the Sailfish to knot the game 1-1.
The Sailfish tandem of Ragland and Rohn paved the way to a 25-21 third set win. Campbell posted three kills as the Lions led 16-12. PBA turned the tide coming out of the timeout to take the third frame and gain a 2-1 advantage over the Green and Gold. Santiago managed an impressive nine digs despite the outcome.
Saint Leo was unable to overcome an early PBA lead, as the hosting Sailfish took the final set 25-17.
The Lions return to action to face Barry University, Friday with a game time set for a 7 p.m. start. Live stat links will be made 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.
