SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo volleyball team made history on Tuesday evening as they took down No. 20 Tampa, 3-1; 25-23, 18-25, 25-21, 25-21, in the Marion Bowman Activities Center to seal a season sweep over the Spartans for the first time in school history.

"I think that was a big win for us following a tough weekend at the South Region Crossover," Head Coach Sam Cibrone said of the monumental win. "To beat a great team like Tampa twice in one year for the first time in program history should give us great momentum heading into a tough weekend with Palm Beach Atlantic and Nova Southeastern. I am very happy for the team. The seniors played big, and it's great for them to get two wins over Tampa in their senior season."

This also marked just the third win over UT in program history, and the first win over the Spartan in the Bowman Center.

The fourth and final set saw the Lions display season-defining effort as they committed just one hitting error in the set, to put town 11 kills on a clip of .323. Hope Lemon put down four kills in the final set without committing an error, while Avery Bradshaw put down three while remaining error-less as well. Saint Leo also tallied three team blocks in the set, while the Spartans did not register a single block in the final set. It was the overall defensive effort that saw the Lions earn the final set win to take the match, as three different players scooped up four digs in Jamee Townsend, Britt Sederholm, and Maddy Powell. Most of the digs were beyond average plays as the backline was leaving their heart on the floor. The Lions utilized the spectacular plays, and the boisterous crowd gained energy from the team to help keep the Spartans out of rhythm, and take the game.

Over the match, Lemon led the Lions with 15 kills on a .255 clip, adding two aces, five digs, and a block. The rest of the offense remained balanced as Victoria Omoregie added seven kills, five digs, and three blocks, while setter Maddy Powell followed with six kills. The junior added 30 assists, 12 digs, three blocks and a service ace. Avery Bradshaw was a key cog in the victory as she came off the bench in the second and third sets and put down five kills, committing no errors, and hit .500.

Sophomore Reggie Van Devender once again provided a spark for the Lions. The defensive specialist made two heads-up plays that resulted in kills at very timely moments for the Lions and helped return momentum. She also added 12 digs, two assists and an ace to her stat line.

Jamee Townsend continued to be a rock for the Saint Leo defense as she scooped up a match-high 22 digs, adding three digs and an ace. Sederholm added nine digs, and three service aces, including a crucial snipe towards the end of the fourth set. On the front line of the defense, Annabella Arcari posted five blocks, including a solo, and Katie Adamson added three.

As a team, the Lions tallied 10 team blocks, and dealt out eight service aces, while Tampa only recorded three aces and tallied 10 service errors.

Saint Leo continues their home stand as they host No. 12 Palm Beach Atlantic on Friday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m.

For the latest news, updates, and information on the Saint Leo volleyball be sure to visit SaintLeoLions.com.  Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Lions news by following Saint Leo Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.