BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Saint Leo volleyball team headed into Friday night's NCAA South Regional Semifinal confident despite facing the No. 1 seed and host Lynn who had defeated the Lions nearly one month prior 3-0 inside the same arena. The Lions came out with the same tough defense and offensive balance that had carried them to the postseason and the results came along as Saint Leo picked up two quick 25-18 sets. The third set proved to be a bit more difficult but a late push gave the Lions the victory 27-25.
 
The sweep is just the third suffered by Lynn this season and two have come at the hands of the Lions. Saint Leo clicked in all facets of the game as the Lions tallied a .371 hitting percentage, posted 10 blocks compared to just two from Lynn, and dug up 45 balls while stifling the Lynn offense.
 
The victory moves Saint Leo's record to 23-10, tied for fourth most wins in program history. The victory also advanced the Lions to their second-ever South Regional Final and first since 2009 when Saint Leo ended the year with a school record 30 victories.
 
It was another balanced night offensively for the Lions as seven attackers finished with three or more kills in the victory. Senior Nina Vattovaz was unloading explosive hits all night and finished with a team-high 13 kills on just 30 swings. She posted a .367 hitting percentage from her outside attacking position.
 
Junior Michelle Cuervo and senior Anilise Fitzi each finished with nine kills in the match. Cuervo, who was facing her younger sister Melanie Cuervo for the third time in her collegiate career, picked up family bragging rights as she took the season series over her sister 2-1. The junior finished with an impressive .421 hitting percentage while committing just one error. Fitzi was nearly unstoppable both offensively and defensively. She had nine kills on just 13 swings for a .692 hitting percentage while posting a career-best nine blocks in just three sets of action against the Knights.
 
Senior Victoria Omoregie finished second on the squad with six blocks while also tallying four kills in the match. Redshirt junior Anna Garrett handed out 31 assists while digging up eight balls. She also snuck in three kills without committing an error.
 
Senior Fabiola Rosado had an outstanding match on the backline as she seemed to be everywhere on the court finishing with a team-best 10 digs. Sophomore libero Payton Bellano also made several strong defensive plays while posting seven digs in the win.
 
Lynn's Sonja Udovcic was unstoppable at times throughout the match and finished with a match-high 15 kills for the Fighting Knights.
 
Lynn played with the lead for most of the opening set but with the Lions down 17-15 late in the period Saint Leo exploded for a 10-1 run to close the set and squelch any momentum the home team may have had. The second set opened with a 7-2 run by the Lions and Saint Leo never looked back. The Fighting Knights tied the set at eight but it was all Lions from that point on as they took the period 25-18.
 
The third set opened the exact opposite way than the second as the Fighting Knights opened up a 7-2 lead early on. The Lions found themselves down 12-5 but a 9-2 run tied the action at 14. The lead would continue to bounce back and forth down the stretch but a kill by Omoregie late in the period gave the Lions a 23-20 lead. Three-straight kills by Udovcic tied the set at 23 but an attack error gave the Lions their first match point of the evening at 24-23. The Lions and Knights would trade the next four points until they sat at 26-25 Lions. The match finally came to an end as Cuervo drove home a kill for the Lions topping her sister's Fighting Knights, 27-25.
 
The Lions will now take on the No. 3 seed Barry Buccaneers who survived a five-set thriller with No. 2 seed Tampa earlier in the evening. The Championship match is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon in Boca Raton.
 
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.