TAVARES, Fla. – The Saint Leo beach volleyball team picked up a pair of victories on Easter Sunday to bring home the Silver Bracket Championship at the AVCA Small College Beach Championship in Tavares, Fla. The Lions downed Stevenson 3-2 in their opening match of the day to advance to the championship match against Florida Southern. Saint Leo then downed the Mocs 4-1 to claim the title in just their second year as a program.
 
Amber Lake and Nina Vattovaz got things rolling for the Lions against Stevenson as the pair won the No. 1 match 21-17, 19-21, 15-13. Stevenson captured the No. 2 and No. 3 matches but the Lions clinched the match with wins at No. 4 and No. 5. Anilise Fitzi and Payton Bellano teamed up to win 21-14, 21-10 at No. 4 while Arlaina Stephenson and Annabella Arcari took the No. 5 match 21-19, 21-16.
 
The victory propelled the Lions to the championship match at noon versus Florida Southern who had split a pair of matches with the Lions during the regular season. Saint Leo went on to win every match except No. 3 to claim the title, 4-1.
 
Lake and Vattovaz used a come-from-behind effort to win at No. 1 13-21, 21-18, 15-8. Beka Wachob and Brooke Turner took home the No. 2 match 21-19, 21-19 while Bellano and Fitzi won at No. 4 21-14, 21-19. The final victory came at No. 5 as Stephenson and Arcari came back to win 10-21, 21-12, 19-17.
 
The University of Tampa picked up the win in the Gold Bracket while Tusculum won the Bronze Bracket.
 
The Lions conclude the 2019 season with a 12-14 record including an impressive 6-1 mark at home.  
 
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.