FT.LAUDERDALE, FLA. – The Saint Leo volleyball team went 2-0 on their opening day of action at the 2016 Nova Southeastern Shark Invitational on Friday, taking a 3-0 win over Bentley, 25-18, 25-18, 25-19, and taking an upset win over No. 11 Rockhurst in a five-set thriller, 24-26, 22-25, 25-20, 26-24, 15-8.

The Lions needed all their gut and gumption in their second match of the day, as they looked to take on No. 11 Rockhurst.

However, the first two sets did not pan out in the Lions' favor. The nationally-ranked squad in Rockhurst took a 26-24 win in the first set following a tight battle offensively. The Lions put away 17 kills on a solid hitting percentage of .302 in the first, but Rockhurst saw the advantage, putting down 20 kills on a clip of .333. 

In the second set, it was Rockhurst again, claiming the set with a 25-22 win while putting down 18 kills and only making one hitting error.

Down 2-0, Saint Leo needed to find their inner strength to make a comeback. 

In the crucial third set, it went back and forth, tying the game at 9-9, but a three-point run behind the serve of sophomore Reggie Van Devender forced Rockhurst into a timeout. From there, the Lions were able to maintain a comfortable lead and a kill from sophomore Dallas Jasper gave the Lions hope and a 25-20 win in set 3.

The fourth set started with a 4-0 run behind the serve from freshman Anna Garrett. The Lions and Hawks battled to an 18-18 tie, and the Hawks moved to a 24-22 lead, forcing Saint Leo to call a time out. 

Out of the timeout, the Lions wrapped up the way the match started, with Garrett on the service line. The freshman dished out two service aces to close out the game and force set five.

In the deciding set, Saint Leo took command early and never relented, claiming a 7-4 lead before Rockhurst had to call a timeout. Out of the break, the Lions rattled off three more points before the Hawks could break one away. Saint Leo was able to close out the set, and take the match, 15-8.

Offensively, the Lions rode their outside hitters as junior Britt Sederholm put down a career-high 27 kills and senior Hope Lemon added 20. Both added 14 and 11 digs, respectively,  tallying double-doubles.

Senior Katie Adamson hit a team-best .467, putting away eight kills and adding a team-high five blocks. Garrett directed the offense, dishing out 65 assists, adding 13 digs for the double-double.

Defensively, Saint Leo saw senior libero Jamee Townsend add a match-high 31 digs, while junior Jenya Kruglova added 14 as well.

In the opening match of the day, the Lions took on Bentley and proved to be the more dominate team. Saint Leo opened the first set of the season with Anna Garrett distributing the offense. Behind her hands, the Lions put away 14 kills and improved to 18 kills with a .325 clip in the second. Saint Leo put away 15 kills while also limiting Bentley to just six kills in the third to take the match.

Garrett finished with a total of 42 assists, adding three kills on just five attempts, and two service aces.

The Lions were led offensively by senior Hope Lemon who put down 17 kills on the outside on an impressive hitting percentage of .361. She also added five services aces and two blocks for a team-high 23 points. Fellow senior Jamee Townsend anchored the defense adding a team-high 19 digs.

Saint Leo's defense and serving held Bentley to just 23 kills in the match and a hitting percentage of .139, and forced them into 11 serve reception errors.