TAMPA, Fla. -- In a battle for the ages, Saint Leo entered Tuesday night's contest as the underdog, but proved it was a formidable opponent. The Lions took a set from the Spartans, and had opportunities to win each set, but eventually fell 3-1. Senior Jillian Stolzenburg had a career outing and led the Lions with 14 kills and an efficient .522 attack percentage. 

The Basics
Final Score: No. 5 Tampa defeated Saint Leo 3-1, (25-17, 26-24, 23-25, 25-23). 
Location: Bob Martinez Athletics Center | Tampa, Fla.
Records: Saint Leo 15-6, 6-3 SSC | Tampa 17-4, 7-1 SSC 

How It Happened 

• Senior Jillian Stolzenburg led the Lions with a career best 14 kills, and just two errors. The Oregon native turned in a .522 attack percentage, a match high. 
• Anna Siruckova and Britt Sederholm each chipped in nine kills, and the pair combined for 16 digs and four blocks. Sederholm tallied 12 digs and Siruckova collected three blocks. 
• Katie Adamson turned in eight kills, tying her second highest tally this season. Adamson also had a team high three blocks. 
• Avery Bradshaw and Hope Lemon split time at outside, Lemon notched seven kills and Bradshaw added two kills. The pair combined for 13 digs.
• Ashlee Hodgskin dished out 45 assists, and has now surpassed 800 assists this season. 
• Jamee Townsend collected 28 digs (7.0 digs per set) and also had one kill. 
• Reggie Van Devender turned in four digs and one kill. 
• Set 1 | The Lions entered the contest as the underdog, but from the first serve, there was no underdog. The Lions jumped to a 3-0 lead and two kills from Siruckova pushed Saint Leo on a 6-2 run, the largest lead for Saint Leo. As the Spartans crept back into the match, Stolzenburg turned on and kept the Lions in the match. The senior hit a perfect 1.000 in the first frame. Tampa took the lead at 10-9, but despite back-and-forth play, back-to-back kills from middles Adamson and Stolzenburg tied the set 16-16. The Spartans answered with a 9-1 run to close the set 25-17. The Lions made Tampa earn every point as only one of the final six points scored by the Spartans were on a Saint Leo error. 
• Set 2 | Tampa jumped to an early lead and the Lions trailed for most of the match, but the play from Stolzenburg stayed hot and kept the Lions in the set. The middle had four kills on eight attempts. Sederholm collected the Lions first service ace of the match and tied the set 18-18. The Lions second ace, this time from Townsend tied the score at 20-20. Tampa battled to set point at 24-23, but a big swing from Siruckova, who had a perfect second frame with three kills on seven attempts, tied it up at 24-24. The Spartans closed the match on back-to-back kills for a 26-24 win. 
• Set 3 | The break provided Leo with a chance to regroup and regroup they did. The Lions lead almost the entire third set, and opened the the frame on a 4-1 run. Fueling the momentum was the tandem of Siruckova and Sederholm. The pair combined for six kills in the first in the first 15 points for the Lions. An ace by Lemon gave the Lions a 17-14 edge. Saint Leo's block turned on late, collecting two two in the second frame. A block by Siruckova and Adamson stretched the Lions lead to 18-14. The block sparked a 5-1 run for Saint Leo bringing Saint Leo to a 23-18 lead, its largest lead of the set. Tampa stuck around and inched within two, but Saint Leo closed the set 25-23. 
• Set 4 | Stolzenburg stayed hot in the fourth frame and sparked a 3-0 in the first moments of the set to give Saint Leo a 4-3 lead despite being down 3-1. Tampa sprinted to a 6-0 run for a 9-4 lead. Despite trailing by four, the Lions rallied back with a run of their own. Saint Leo tied the set 9-9. A solo block from Stozlenburg gave Saint Leo it's second lead of the match followed by a Sederholm kill down the line for a 16-15 advantage. Bradshaw added to the Lions momentum shift as the freshman combined with Adamson for a 4-1 swing and a 20-17 Saint Leo lead. Tampa again made a push, but Adamson collected her eighth kill of the match and put Saint Leo up 22-20. The final swing landed in Tampa's favor and the Sparts collected a 3-1 match win. 

Beyond the Box score

• Saint Leo won its first set against the Spartans since Nov. 9, 2013. The Lions dropped both meetings in 2013. On Oct. 2, Leo lost 3-2, and on the ninth lost 3-1 at Tampa. 
• The Lions are 6-2 this season in 3-1 matches.
• Leo's defense totaled 75 team digs, the third highest team total this season. 

For the Spartans

• Three Spartans turned in double-digit performances. Marissa Lisenbee led the match with 18 kills on 44 attempts for a .295 attack percentage. Berkley Whaley notched a double-double with 13 kills and 15 digs. Allee Stelogeannis collected 11 kills and 11 digs for a double-double. 
• Gina Clarke dished out 46 assists and tallied 17 digs for the Spartans third double-double performance. 
• Logan Holanchock totaled 20 digs for the match. 

 Up next

• The Lions return to Marion Bowman after a three-match road swing. The Lions will host Palm Beach Atlantic and Barry over Halloween weekend. Saint Leo will welcome the Sailfish Friday, Oct. 30 at 7 pm, before taking on the Buccaneers Saturday, Oct. 31 at 4 pm. 
• Saint Leo only has four home matches left in the 2015 season, and has accumulated a 5-1 record on its home court. The Lions have won 15 consecutive sets at Marion Bowman. The last time they dropped a set was Oct. 2 against Florida Tech.