TAVARES, Fla. – The Saint Leo beach volleyball team went 1-1 on the rain-shortened opening day of the AVCA Small College Beach Championship. The Lions opened the day with a 5-0 sweep of Eckerd before falling to Stevenson 3-2.
 
The Lions will complete their first round-robin round tomorrow morning as they play top-seeded Texas A&M Kingsville at 9 a.m.
 
The Tritons forfeited both the No. 4 and No. 5 matches giving the Lions an early 2-0 lead in the match. Amber Lake and Nina Vattovaz took care of business at No. 1 as they cruised to a 21-11, 21-5 victory in the match.
 
Beka Wachob and Brooke Turner teamed up at No. 2 to down the Tritons 21-15, 21-12 while Sam Bogdan and Kirsten Kaiser won at No. 3 21-18, 21-19 to complete the sweep.
 
Next on the schedule was a rematch with Stevenson whom the Lions defeated 4-1 earlier this season at home. The Mustangs came out tough and won at No. 1, No. 3 and No. 4. The match at No. 1 was the toughest two set match of the year for the Lions as the Mustangs pulled off a 22-20, 33-31 victory.
 
Wachob and Turner picked up their second win of the day at No. 2 with a come-from-behind 14-21, 21-15, 15-11 victory. The only other victory came at No. 5 as Arlaina Stephenson and Annabella Arcari won 21-19, 21-18.
 
The Lions will finish up the first round of pool play tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. as they take on top-seeded Texas A&M Kingsville.  
 
For the latest news, updates, and information on the Saint Leo beach 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.