ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – After dropping the opening two sets Friday night, the Saint Leo volleyball team stormed back to overtake the Tritons of Eckerd 3-2 to open Sunshine Conference play with a road victory. Four Lions reached double-figures kills in the victory as the Lions hit .358 as a team while committing just 13 errors over the five sets.
 
The Lions (4-5, 1-0 SSC) had a nearly flawless fourth set with 15 kills on 29 swings and zero errors for an impressive .517 hitting percentage. The Tritons (5-4, 0-2 SSC) hit .247 for the match but had just four kills in the final set to go along with four errors for a .000 hitting percentage in the deciding set.
 
"I could not be more proud of how our offense showed up tonight," said Interim Head Coach Erik Peterson. "Cassie (Kamien) did a great job running the floor and getting our hitters in positions to take some big swings. Our defense really stepped up in the fifth to help us change the momentum at the side change."

In one of the best all-around team performances of the season sophomore Ashley Quero led the Lions with 16 kills while committing just two errors for a .438 hitting percentage. Junior Nina Vattovaz turned in a season-high 14 kills while senior Dallas Jasper had 13 and junior Annabella Arcari had 12. Arcari had an outstanding offensive performance with just one error to go along with her 12 kills.
 
Freshman setter Cassandra Kamien took matters into her own hands on six occasions as she fooled the Triton defense with six kills on 11 attacks with no errors. The rookie also dished out a career-high 50 assists in the match as she takes over the role of full time setter.

Senior Reggie Van Devender, who was splitting time at setter, moved back into her defensive role and led the Lions with 24 digs after entering as the libero in the third set. Kamien earned a double-double as she added 10 digs to her 50 assist night. Jasper added to the defensive effort with a team-high six block assists.
 
The Lions dropped the opening two sets 25-23 and 25-22 before storming back with wins in the third and fourth sets 25-23 and 25-20, respectively. The Tritons jumped out to an 8-5 lead in the fifth set but the Lions never gave up and came back to tie the set at 10-10 before scoring five of the final seven points to claim the 15-12 victory.  
 
Saint Leo will have a quick turnaround as they host nationally-ranked Florida Southern on Saturday at 4 p.m., inside the Marion Bowman Activities 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.