SAINT LEO, Fla. – In come-from-behind fashion, the Saint Leo University volleyball team defeated Lynn University, 3-2 in a five-set thriller on Saturday. Senior Alexa Griffith-Hardy delivered a 20-kill salvo at a blistering .516 attack percentage across the match to secure the crucial Sunshine State Conference win.
The Lions improve to 7-2 on the season with a 2-0 SSC tally while the Fighting Knights dip to 4-5 with a 0-2 mark in conference play.
Saint Leo dropped the first two sets before rebounding with three-straight victories to take the comeback win.
Libero Yaidimar Santiago spanned the court, notching 35 digs to lead the defense. Setter Rachel Olliff picked up another double-double, spinning a career-high 54 assists while posting 11 digs and five service aces.
The offensive battery was led by rightside hitter Griffith-Hardy and middle blocker Jillian Stolzenburg. Griffith-Hardy swatted a career-high 20 kills while Stolzenburg blasted eight at a .583 clip. Outside hitting tandem Tawni Warren and Lauren Campbell amassed 13 and nine kills respectively.
Lynn turned to a balanced attack behind outside hitter Morgan Dulaney and middle blocker Lydia West. The duo picked up nine kills each as the team hit at a .114 percentage across the match.
The Fighting Knights took the first frame by a 25-22 score behind five kills from freshman West. Senior Olliff and sophomore Hope Lemon served up a pair of aces each despite dropping the premier set.
LU rode their momentum into the second stanza with a 26-24 win. Lions' senior Santiago posted 11 digs in the second set alone while the offense split 10 kills between Griffith-Hardy and Lemon.
The Lions rebounded in the third frame behind a strong defensive showing by Santiago. The libero added another 10 digs to the ledger while Griffith-Hardy ignited for seven kills at a .545 clip. The team swung an impressive .345 attack percentage to take the third set 25-15.
Middle blocker Stolzenburg grounded a perfect 4-for-4 in the fourth set to tie the match 2-2. Saint Leo totaled 18 kills as a team with an astonishing .625 attack to win the set by a convincing 25-11 score.
In the decisive fifth set, Griffith-Hardy slammed five kills in six swings to complete the bounce-back win, 15-12.
The Green and Gold continue conference play with a road match against the No. 1 ranked University of Tampa Spartans on Friday, Sept. 26th at 7 p.m. Live stats will be made available through www.saintleolions.com.
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