SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo volleyball team will make its 11th NCAA postseason appearance Thursday as the Lions open up play at the 2019 NCAA South Region Championship. The appearance marks the seventh-straight for the Lions and first under current head coach Jason Skoch.
 
Saint Leo earned the No. 5 seed and will face the No. 4 seed Embry-Riddle at 5 p.m. Thursday evening. The 2019 NCAA South Region Championship is being held on the campus of Lynn University who earned the top seed in the region.
 
The South Region field includes Lynn, Tampa, Barry, Embry-Riddle, Saint Leo, West Florida, Alabama-Huntsville and Spring Hill. The Lions are 4-5 against the 2019 field with wins over top-seed Lynn, No. 2 seed Tampa, No. 4 seed Embry-Riddle and No. 6 seed West Florida. The Lions five losses came against Lynn, Tampa, Barry (twice) and Embry-Riddle.
 
The Eagles, who are making their first trip to the NCAA Tournament, split with the Lions this season winning at home 3-2 in early October and falling at Saint Leo 3-1 in mid-November. The Eagles have dropped four-straight heading into the postseason, their longest losing streak of the season. Juniors Melanie Canfield and Jordan Schumacher led the Eagles versus Saint Leo with 26 and 24 total kills, respectively over the two matches. Schumacher had 17 kills and Canfield and 16 in the 3-2 win in Daytona Beach but the Lions held them to just seven and 10, respectively, in the 3-1 match at Saint Leo. Senior Kristin Vom Schemm also had 17 kills versus the Lions in the 3-2 victory but was held without a kill in the 3-1 loss while making five attacks over three sets and committing a pair of hitting errors.
 
Junior Ashley Quero led the Lions in the pair of matches with 25 total kills while First Team All-Region and All-Conference performer senior Anilise Fitzi finished with 24. Quero had just five kills along with seven hitting errors in the 3-2 loss on the road before exploding for a season-best 20 kills to go along with 11 digs in the 3-1 victory at home. Fitzi had a more balanced match-up with 10 kills and seven blocks in the loss and 14 kills and seven blocks in the victory.
 
Last season, the Lions fell in straight-sets in the opening match of the 2018 NCAA South Regional to eventual National Champion and 11^th-ranked University of Tampa, 3-0. The Lions have advanced to two of the last four Regional Semifinals and look to make their first Regional Championship match since 2009.
 
All the matches will have live stats and live video available as well.
 
Saint Leo will take to the court at 5 p.m. tomorrow against Embry-Riddle in the opening round of the 2019 NCAA South Region Championship. With a victory, the Lions will advance to play at 7:30 pm Friday night against either No. 1 seed Lynn or No. 8 seed Spring Hill.
 
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.