LAKELAND, Fla. – It was a historic night for the Saint Leo volleyball program as senior Victoria Omoregie etched her name into the program's record book and the team achieved something it had not done since 2009 as the Lions swept the season series against the Florida Southern Moccasins for just the second time in team history. Omoregie became just the seventh Lion all-time to achieve 1,000 career kills as she put down 12 in the match despite needing just two heading into the key Sunshine State Conference contest.
 
Omoregie wasted little time achieving her mark Tuesday as she scored the first two points for the Lions in the match to forever put her name among the top attackers in program history. The Tampa, Fla. native finished second on the team with 12 kills on the night while also posting a pair of blocks and three digs.
 
The Lions also matched their season win total from 2018 as the victory over the Mocs marked their 17^th win of the season. Saint Leo is now 17-6 overall and 8-4 in Sunshine State Conference action. The Mocs dropped to 5-17 in 2019 and 1-11 in league play.
 
Junior Ashley Quero, who is now just 118 kills away from joining Omoregie in that elite group, led the team with 15 kills against the Mocs while also posting 13 digs and four blocks for one of her most well-rounded matches of the season. Junior Michelle Cuervo was the final Lion in double-figures as she chipped in 11 kills and a pair of blocks.
 
Redshirt junior setter Anna Garrett finished with 37 assists over the four sets while also digging up 14 balls and contributing three dump kills. Sophomore libero Payton Bellano continued to roll as she dug up a team-best 20 balls while also contributing a pair of service aces.
 
The Lions had a total of six service aces in the match with four of them coming from the arm of freshman setter Skylar Singleton who also added 11 digs and a trio of assists from her backrow position.
 
Saint Leo won the opening set 25-20 before dropping a rough offensive second set 25-16. The Lions rallied late in the third set to secure a 26-24 victory before cruising through the fourth and decisive period 25-14.
 
The Lions trailed 19-14 late in the third set but a 9-1 run by the Lions flipped the momentum and proved to be the difference in the match. Despite taking a 23-20 lead, the Lions would not take the set easily as the Mocs battled back to tie the set at 23. A kill by Omoregie gave the Lions their first set point of the period but once again the Mocs responded and tied the set at 24. A kill from Quero followed by an attack error from the Mocs gave the Lions to set and the momentum heading into the fourth set. The fourth set would be all Saint Leo as the Lions used an 11-1 run to close out the match in dominating fashion.
 
The Mocs have owned the series against the Lions, winning the first 60 match-ups between the two programs. Only once before have the Lions taken two from the Mocs during a regular season and that came back in 2009. Since then the Lions have been trying to repeat that feat and that achievement came tonight in Lakeland as the Lions took home their 12^th win all-time against the Mocs and second of the 2019 season.
 
Saint Leo will now take to the practice court to prepare for a pair of home matches this week as part of the Homecoming festivities this weekend. The Lions will host Barry Friday night at 7 p.m. before welcoming in Palm Beach Atlantic on Saturday at 4 p.m. The Lions currently sit one game ahead of Barry in the SSC standings and two wins out of first place.  
 
For the latest news, updates, and information on 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.