WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Saint Leo volleyball team fell 3-0 Thursday afternoon to No. 11 Tampa in the opening round of the NCAA South Regional in West Palm Beach, Fla. The Lions were taking on the nationally-ranked Spartans for the third time this season and second time in the last week.
 
All three sets were tightly contests with the largest margin of victory coming in the opening set at 25-16. Saint Leo went back-and-forth with the Spartans in the opening points of the first set but a late run gave Tampa a nine-point victory. The second set saw the Lions get up early but Tampa stormed back and hung on for a 25-23 win. The third set was much like the second. Saint Leo led 21-18 late in the period but a 7-0 run by the Spartans gave Tampa the 25-21 victory and 3-0 win.
 
Junior Victoria Omoregie led the Lions with 11 kills in the match while also assisting on three blocks. Senior Dallas Jasper came off the bench to score seven kills on just eight swings for a .750 hitting percentage. The senior also posted three blocks in her final Saint Leo match.
 
Fellow senior Reggie Van Devender closed out her Saint Leo career with a team-high 21 digs. Freshman setter Cassandra Kamien chipped in 10 digs to go along with 28 assists.
 
The Lions hit just .090 as a team while the Spartans posted a .215 hitting percentage. The Lions out-blocked the Spartans 8-7 but it was not enough of an edge to make the difference.
 
Tampa was led by Katie McKiel and Sorrel Houghton who had 15 and 14 kills, respectively.
 
The loss ends the season for Saint Leo who finishes with a 17-15 overall record and recorded its sixth-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Lions say farewell to two seniors in Dallas Jasper and Reggie Van Devender but will return a strong core of student-athletes who played a large role in the Lions run to the NCAA Tournament.
 
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