SAINT LEO, Fla. – After a weekend of non-conference action at the NCAA South Region Crossover in Orlando, Fla., the Saint Leo volleyball team returned home to face Eckerd in a key Sunshine State Conference battle. The Lions edged the Tritons 3-2 in St. Petersburg to open SSC play earlier this season but Tuesday night would be a different story as the Lions jumped out early and never looked back in a 3-0 win at home.
 
Sophomore Ashley Quero had one of the most efficient matches of her young career as she tallied 14 kills on just 28 attacks with two errors for a .429 hitting percentage. The Hialeah, Fla. native assisted on two blocks as well against the Tritons. Junior Nina Vattovaz continued her consistent play of late with 12 kills, eight digs and a block.
 
Freshman setter Cassandra Kamien continued to spread the ball around and finished with 36 assists over the three sets and 11 digs for another double-double. The rookie now has 10 double-doubles on the season including the last two contests. Senior libero Reggie Van Devender patrolled the backline as always and put up 16 digs and five assists.
 
Junior Annabella Arcari led the team at the net with five block assists while also chipping in seven kills.
 
The Lions limited Eckerd to a .104 hitting percentage including keeping the Tritons below .100 for the opening two sets. The Tritons had one attacker reach double-figures in Abbie O'Ferrell who had 11 kills but only hit for a .034 average.
 
Saint Leo jumped all over the Tritons in the opening set taking a 21-9 lead. Eckerd would not go down easy though as the Tritons fought back to cut the lead to 24-20 before Saint Leo closed out the period with an attack error by O'Ferrell. The second set was much like the first but with now last minute comeback by the Tritons as the Lions cruised to a 25-13 victory that featured six kills from Vattovaz. The third set was the tightest of all the sets as both teams battled back-and-forth throughout the period. With the set tied at 22, Saint Leo rattled off three-straight points to close out the match. The first came on a service error by Eckerd, the second was a kill by Arcari and the final came on a block from Arcari and junior Victoria Omoregie.
 
Saint Leo will now hit the road for four-straight contests away from home. The first on the docket is a trip to Daytona Beach, Fla., and a battle with Embry-Riddle on Friday, Oct. 26 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.