SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo volleyball team travels to St. Augustine to open its 2018 season at the Flagler Saints Invitational where the Lions will play four matches over two days, including a pair of top-25 opponents.
 
Saint Leo, who was selected to finish fourth in the Sunshine State Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, opened the 2017 season with six-straight wins including sweeping its matches at the Nova Southeastern Shark Invitational. The Lions will look to repeat that start in 2018 but will face some tough competition in St. Augustine.
 
The Lions will open up their first day of competition with Findlay at 10 a.m. on Friday before taking on Erskine at 4:30 p.m. On Saturday, Saint Leo will face a pair of top-25 ranked opponents including preseason No. 3 Minnesota Duluth at 2 p.m. and preseason No. 25 Flagler at 7 pm. Minnesota Duluth ended its season in the Central Region Championship match against the eventual National Champion Concordia-St. Paul while Flagler advanced to the Elite Eight where the Saints fell to Rockhurst.
 
Saint Leo faced Minnesota Duluth in its season opening tournament in 2017 and defeated the Bulldogs 3-1 in Fort Lauderdale before both programs went on to have very successful seasons. The Lions also traveled to Flagler last season and defeated the Saints 3-0 in St. Augustine.
 
The Lions return four of their top-five kill leaders from last season including sophomore Ashley Quero who led Saint Leo with 305 kills last season. Defensively, the top five block leaders return to the 2018 squad while the digs leader, Jenya Kruglova, was lost to graduation. Six new faces grace the Saint Leo roster including a pair of transfers in Michelle Cuervo (Quinnipiac) and Anilise Fitzi (Polk State College) and four freshmen.
 
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.