SAINT LEO, Fla. – For the second-time this season the Saint Leo volleyball team knocked off a top-25 ranked opponent as the Lions defeated No. 21 Florida Southern 3-2 Saturday evening. The Moccasins were the lone Sunshine State Conference team that Saint Leo was unable to defeat last season but that would not be the case in 2018 as Saint Leo won the first, second and decisive fifth set to remain perfect in SSC play.
 
The victory evens out the Lions record at 5-5 while moving Saint Leo to 2-0 in conference action. The Mocs fell to 6-4 overall and 1-1 in league play.
 
"Anytime we have an opportunity to squeeze out a win against a top-25 opponent, especially within our conference, it is an amazing feat," said Interim Head Coach Erik Peterson. "Our team played great. We went up 2-0 and a great team battled back and tied it up going into the fifth set. We love game five, we train for game five because these are situations we have to take advantage of when we have the opportunity. It was great to get the win at home in front of a great crowd. I think they brought a lot of energy into the game when we needed it."
 
As has been the case all season, the Lions used a balanced offensive attack with four hitters reaching double-figures. Freshman setter Cassandra Kamien continued her rise as she achieved 50-plus assists for the second-straight contest and had a career-high 20 digs Saturday night.
 
Kamien distributed the ball all over the court as sophomore Ashley Quero (15), junior Annabella Ancari (14), junior Nina Vattovaz (13) and junior Victoria Omoregie (12) all reached double-figures in kills.
 
Defensively, the Lions put down 10 blocks with Arcari leading the way with seven including two solo stops. Quero also chipped in a pair of solo blocks to go along with three block assists. Four Lions reached double-figures in digs as well led by Kamien's 20.
 
The Lions came out firing winning the opening set 25-14 before fighting off five set points in set number two to overcome a 24-19 deficit and win 26-24. The third set was back-and-forth but the Mocs pulled out the 25-23 win while the fourth set was close throughout until a late run by the Mocs gave Florida Southern the 25-20 victory. With tensions high, Saint Leo opened up a 7-3 lead in the fifth set but it would not last as the Mocs tied up the period 9-9. After several back-and-forth exchanges the Lions secured a service aces from sophomore Brooke Turner before a solo block from Arcari ended the match 15-12.
 
Saint Leo will next be in action Friday, Sept. 14 at Barry for a 7 p.m. match. Barry remains undefated on the season with a perfect 9-0 record and a 1-0 SSC mark.  
 
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.