SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo volleyball team is venturing into new territory this week as the Lions travel to their first NCAA Championship in Denver, Colo. after a thrilling weekend in Boca Raton where they captured their first NCAA South Region Championship. The Lions defeated the No. 4, No. 1 and No. 3 seeds in route to the title as they entered the regional as the No. 5 seed. The Lions will have a similar route to the National Title as they enter the final eight as the No. 5 seed as well.
 
Saint Leo will begin what the Lions hope is a three-match stay in Denver with a match against No. 4 seed and 11^th-ranked Regis at 7 p.m. (EST) Thursday night. The Rangers will be playing just 15 minutes down the road from their campus as they are located within the city of Denver. The Lions enter the event with a 24-10 record while the Rangers carry a 28-4 mark.
 
The Lions and Rangers have met just twice before with Regis taking both contests by the score of 3-1. The most recent meeting took place during the 2016 season at the Colorado Premier Challenge. The match was played at the same location as this year's National Championship and six of the current Lions were freshmen on that squad including Annabella Arcari, Allie Daul, Anna Garrett, Victoria Omoregie, Fabiola Rosado and Nina Vattovaz. Garrett, Rosado, Omoregie and Arcari all appeared in the match with Garrett picking up 40 assists over the four sets with the other three seeing limited action.
 
Head coach Jason Skoch is somewhat familiar with Regis as his West Texas A&M squads faced the Rangers five times during his tenure. He led his team to a 2-3 record against the Rangers which included a 2-1 mark in NCAA Regional action. The most recent meeting between a Skoch led team and Regis came at the 2017 NCAA South Central Regional hosted by Regis where the Rangers won 3-1 in the championship match to advance to the National Championship.
 
The other six seeds at the National Championship include No. 1 seed and top ranked Cal State San Bernardino (30-0), No. 2 seed and No. 2 ranked Nebraska Kearney (36-0), No. 3 seed and 19^th ranked Rockhurst (32-7), No. 6 seed Carson-Newman (28-7), No. 7 seed Gannon (30-6) and No. 8 seed Molloy (28-4).  
 
The Lions, who have had a balanced offensive attack all season, could see any number of attackers lead the way this weekend. Most notably will be First Team All-South Region performer Anilise Fitzi who enters the week with 321 kills and an impressive .360 hitting percentage. She also boasts a team-best 150 blocks and is second on the team in service aces with 40. Junior Ashley Quero currently leads the team with 324 kills while seniors Victoria Omoregie (287 kills), Annabella Arcari (242 kills) and Nina Vattovaz (219 kills) all could have breakout performances. Junior Michelle Cuervo, who has 217 kills this season, has come on strong as of late as well.
 
The Lions have also taken advantage of the serving stripe as three Lions have 40 or more service aces including freshman Skylar Singleton (41), Fitzi (40) and sophomore libero Payton Bellano (40). On the back line Bellano (558 digs) and Garrett (362 digs) have been pacing the Lions. Rosado (268 digs) and Singleton (221 digs) have also had very strong individual performances in the backrow this season.
 
Regis has won 19 of its last 20 matches including 15 matches by the score of 3-0. The Rangers also have a balanced attack with five student-athletes with 235 kills or more. Three Rangers were named to the All-South Central Region team including senior setter Silva Basso, senior right-side Izzy Gosar and senior middle blocker Nikki Kennedy. Kennedy leads the team with 306 kills and a .325 hitting percentage while posting 127 blocks. Kennedy is part of a two-headed blocking attack as redshirt senior Kristen Hornung has 123 blocks as well.
 
As a team, the Rangers rank fourth in the NCAA in hitting percentage at .277 and 12^th in blocks per set with 2.43. Hornung individually has the sixth best hitting percentage in Division II at .397.
 
Tickets for the National Championship can be purchased on the Tournament Central page linked above. Parking information is also located on the Tournament Central page linked at the top of this story for those heading to Denver. For all the fans unable to make the trip all the matches will be streamed live with live stats also available on the Tournament Central page and SaintLeoLions.com.
 
Saint Leo will take to the court at 7 p.m. Thursday night against 11^th-ranked Regis in the quarterfinals. The semifinal match is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. (EST) Friday night and will feature the winner of the Regis/Saint Leo contest and the winner of the Cal State San Bernardino/Molloy match.
 
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.