SAINT LEO, Fla. – For the third time this season the Saint Leo volleyball team knocked off a top-25 opponent but Saturday's contest was the Lions first top-10 upset of the year as Saint Leo took down No. 9 Palm Beach Atlantic 3-1 inside the Marion Bowman Activities Center. The Lions jumped out to a 2-0 lead and withstood a Sailfish comeback in the third to claim the match in the fourth set.
 
Junior Nina Vattovaz led all Saint Leo (8-8, 5-3 SSC) attackers with 13 kills, 12 digs and four blocks including one solo. Junior transfer Anilise Fitzi did not reach double-figures but she nearly had a massive double-double as she put down eight kills and posted eight blocks on the defensive side to contribute 13.0 points to the Lion effort.
 
"It was nice to come out and play with such composure against a top 10 team," said interim head coach Erik Peterson. "We knew we were going to get their best and I think we responded well. We made some adjustments throughout the match that really paid off and allowed our defense to make some big plays late in the match!"
 
Sophomore Ashley Quero and junior Victoria Omoregie joined Vattovaz in double-figures as they had 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Quero added six digs while Omoregie had three blocks.
 
Freshman setter Cassandra Kamien dished out 39 assists while digging up eight balls and posting three blocks. Senior libero Reggie Van Devender had 16 digs while freshman Payton Bellano led the team in that category with 17 digs. Junior Fabiola Rosado made her first career start on the back line and had a career-high 12 digs to go along with three assists and a service ace.
 
The Lions and Sailfish combined for 27 blocks with Palm Beach Atlantic (14-3, 6-3 SSC) edging the Lions 16-11 in the category. The Lions had just three more kills than the Sailfish but PBA struggled at the serving line with 12 service errors compared to the Lions' nine.
 
Saint Leo never trailed in the opening set as the Lions jumped out to an 8-1 lead and never looked back as they withstood a late surge and hung on for a 25-23 victory. The second set was much different with both teams taking leads but 6-2 run by Saint Leo to close out the period gave the Lions a 25-19 victory. The third set was back-and-forth in the early stages but a late run allowed the Sailfish to pull ahead and eventually claim a 25-21 win. The fourth set was very similar to the first set as the Lions never trailed and the Sailfish made a late run to make it interesting before the Lions hung on for a 25-23 victory.   
 
Saint Leo begins a three-match road swing Tuesday night as the Lions travel to Lakeland to face off against Florida Southern at 7 p.m., whom they defeated 3-2 earlier this season inside the Bowman Center.
 
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.