SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo volleyball team will make its 10^th NCAA postseason appearance Thursday as the Lions open up play at the 2018 NCAA South Region Championship. The appearance marks the sixth-straight for the Lions including four-straight for seniors Dallas Jasper and Reggie Van Devender.
 
Saint Leo earned the No. 6 seed and will face the No. 3 seed and 11^th-ranked Tampa Spartans at noon on Thursday. The 2018 NCAA South Region Championship is being held on the campus of Palm Beach Atlantic University who earned the top seed in the region.
 
The South Region field includes PBA, Barry, Tampa, Florida Southern, West Florida, Saint Leo, West Alabama and Spring Hill. The Lions are 4-5 against the 2018 field with a pair of wins over top-seed PBA, a split with No. 3 seed Florida Southern and a win over No. 5 seed West Florida. The Lions four other losses came against No. 2 seed Barry and No. 3 seed Tampa.
 
The Spartans, who are making their 23^rd-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament, swept the Lions this season winning both matches 3-1. Sophomore Ashley Quero led the Lions in the two losses as she averaged 3.62 kills per set while juniors Victoria Omoregie and Annabella Arcari each averaged over 2.3 kills per set against the Spartans. Junior Anilise Fitzi posted eight blocks over the eight sets against Tampa while freshman setter Cassandra Kamien dished out 10.75 assists per set.
 
Last season, the Lions advanced to the NCAA South Region semifinals for the second time in the previous three seasons. Omoregie led the Lion attack in the two matches at regionals last season as she tallied 3.57 kills per set and was followed closely by Quero who finished with 3.14 kills per set.
 
Tickets are available for $8 for adults, $5 for students and seniors and $3 for children. All the matches will have live stats and live video available as well.
 
Saint Leo will take to the court at noon tomorrow against Tampa in the opening round of the 2018 NCAA South Region Championship. With a victory, the Lions will advance to play at 5 pm Friday night against either No. 2 seed Barry or No. 7 seed West Alabama.
 
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.