SAINT LEO, Fla. -- The Saint Leo women's volleyball team swept no.6 Florida Southern in Sunshine State Conference action Saturday afternoon. Despite the close score, the Lions controlled the pace of the entire match and collected a season high 16.67 kills per set. 

The Basics
Final Score: Saint Leo swept #6 Florida Southern 3-0, (25-18, 25-23, 27-25).
Location: Marion Bowman Activities Center | Saint Leo, Fla. 
Records: Saint Leo 8-5, 3-2 SSC | FSC 12-2, 3-2

How It Happened 

• The Lions attack was the best its been all season, with an efficient .254 attack percentage and 16.67 kills per set. The Lions totaled 50 kills (3-set season high). Senior Anna Siruckova led the Lions with 15 kills and a match best .342 attack percentage. Siruckova was limited to two errors on 38 swings. The Czech Republic native also added 11 digs and one block.
• Outside Hitters Hope Lemon and Britt Sederholm combined for nearly half of the teams offense. Lemon turned in 12 kills while Sederholm added 10. Sederholm recorded her fourth double-double of the season (10 kills, 10 digs), while Lemon collected her third (12 kills, 13 digs). Lemon also added an ace, for her 12th consecutive match with at least one service ace. 
• Middles Jillian Stolzenburg and Katie Adamson collected six and five kills respectively. Adamson tallied a career high five digs. 
• Ashlee Hodgskin, who leads the SSC with 11.33 assists per set, dished out a cool 40 assists and added a career high 14 digs. It was Hodgskin's third double-double of the season. 
• Jamee Townsend recorded her sixth-consecutive double-digit dig performance, thanks to 10 digs. Townsend also added six assists. 
• Set 1 | The Lions were slow to start, but a string of kills by Adamson, Lemon and Siruckova put Saint Leo on the board and gave the Lions a 3-2 advantage. Points exchanged, but the Lions capitalized on a Mocs serving error at 12-12 and went on a five-point spree. Hodgskin was at the line, and Adamson, Sederholm and Siruckova's aggressive play at the net kept her there. The Lions gained an 18-14 lead they would never relinquish. While the Mocs continued to make errors, Saint Leo closed the set in style with kills by Stolzenburg and Lemon for a 25-18 win. Saint Leo hit a match best .303 in the first set.
• Set 2 | All engines were rolling in the second set, as the Lions offense continued to put the pressure on. Saint Leo collected 15 kills in the second frame on 42 swings. The Lions used small runs of three-points to gain a 14-10 lead, but the Mocs had an answer. Bethany Besancenez rattled off eight-consecutive points from the service line, as four attack errors haunted the Lions. The Mocs pushed to a 20-16 lead, but Saint Leo snuck back into the match. Saint Leo forced five Mocs errors, and sealed the 25-23 win with back-to-back kills by Siruckova and Sederholm. 
• Set 3 | Saint Leo jumped to another early lead, and a late run by the Mocs tied the set at 20-20. Saint Leo trailed 24-23, but fended off match point as Sederholm went up for a decisive swing down the line. Leo held the 25-24 edge, but Anna Tovo stalled set and match point before Sederholm and Lemon finisehd the Mocs 27-25. The Lions collected a match high 21 kills in the third set, and hit .275 as a team. 

From the Coach
"This was a huge win for us. Florida Southern is a great team, they play great defense and they make you earn every point. I really think our girls stayed the course and stuck to the game plan. We were efficient, when you hit .255 against a great team, you have to be happy with the team. We had a balanced attack, three girls in double-digit kills. I'm very proud of the girls."

 "I think we were very relaxed in the final moments of the third set, which was great for our character. We needed to know that in tough spots that we can do this. That was a great opportunity for us. I'm glad FSC had set point and we were still able to come back and earn the win. I'm very proud." 

Beyond the Box score

• The last time Saint Leo volleyball swept a top-10 team was exactly 6 years ago. On Oct. 3, 2009 the Lions upset no. 4 Tampa 3-0. The last top-10 win for Saint Leo came last year at the Bash at the Beach when the Lions upset no. 5 Wheeling Jesuit 3-1 on Oct. 11, 2014. 
• The Lions are 3-2 against ranked opponents this season, 1-1 against top-10 teams. 
• Saint Leo had three hitters reach double-digit kills for just the third time this season. Siruckova, Lemon and Sederholm all added double-digit digs, while Hodgskin also had a double-double (40 assists, 14 digs) which brings the Lions to four double-doubles for the first time in 2015. 

For the Moccasins

• Florida Southern lost their first three-set match of the season, in just their second loss of the year. The Mocs have not dropped a 3-0 decision since December 6, 2013, when the Mocs lost to no. 1 Tampa in the NCAA Regional Tournament. 

Up next

• Saint Leo remains at home, and will host Nova Southeastern Friday, October 9th at 7 p.m. 
• Saturday, October 10th, the Lions will host Lynn University at 2 p.m., followed by an alumni match. The alumni match is a part of the Saint Leo Family Fall Festival.  For more information on all events throughout the festival, please click here.