FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Less than 24 hours removed from its upset of No. 16 Palm Beach Atlantic Friday night, the Saint Leo volleyball team got off to a slow start Saturday afternoon at Nova Southeastern falling behind 2-0. The Lions roared back to dominate the third and fourth sets before surviving a 20-18 fifth set for their third-straight victory.
 
The Lions improved to 16-13 overall and 11-7 in Sunshine State Conference play while the Sharks fell to 6-23 on the season and 4-15 in league action.
 
Juniors Nina Vattovaz and Anilise Fitzi led the comeback effort Saturday afternoon. Vattovaz had a monster double-double with 18 kills and 20 digs while also chipping in three blocks. Fitzi had a career-best 17 kills to go along with a team-high tying seven blocks.
 
Junior Victoria Omoregie added 14 kills to the winning effort while digging up five balls and compiling four blocks. Freshman Cassandra Kamien dished out 55 assists while posting 22 digs. Senior Reggie Van Devender led the team with 26 digs while junior Fabiola Rosado (14) and freshman Payton Bellano (12) joined her in double-figures.
 
The Lions hit .239 as a squad while holding the Sharks to a .116 average. NSU was led by Denvyr Tyler-Palmer who had a match-high 21 kills and 16 digs.
 
The Sharks won the opening two sets 25-19 and 25-23 before Saint Leo rattled off back-to-back 25-14 victories. The fifth set went into extras as a block by Annabella Arcari and Omoregie followed by an NSU attack error ended the match 20-18.
 
Saint Leo will close out the regular season next weekend as they host nationally-ranked Tampa on Friday night at 7 pm before welcoming in Rollins on Saturday for Senior Night at 6 pm.    
 
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.