SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo beach volleyball team closed out the home portion of its 2019 schedule Wednesday afternoon against the University of Tampa. The match was one of the most highly-contested of the season as both teams would not give an inch to their respective opponent. The Spartans edged the Lions 3-2 as three of the five matches went to three sets.
 
Saint Leo took the early advantage as junior Beka Wachob and sophomore Brooke Turner won at No. 2. The pair opened their match with a 21-15 win in the opening set but the Spartans came back to tie the match with a 21-13 victory in the second stanza. The Lions would pull out the victory with a 15-12 third set victory. The win was the seventh of the season for Wachob and Turner as a pair.
 
Tampa tied the match at 1-1 with a 19-21, 21-19, 15-12 victory at No. 4 before the No. 1, No. 3 and No. 5 pairs took to the courts.
 
The Spartans took their first lead of the match with a 21-18, 21-11 victory at No, 5 and they would clinch the match a few minutes later as they won at No. 1 21-17, 21-18.
 
In the final match of the day sophomore Sam Bogdan and freshman Kirsten Kaiser pulled out a come-from-behind 11-21, 21-18, 15-11 victory. After the Spartans dominated the opening set the Lions stormed back to take the match. With the third set tied at 11, Bogdan served the final four points to give the Lions the victory.  
 
The Lions finish 2019 with a 6-1 home record after going winless at home during their inaugural season in 2018. Saint Leo heads into their final two matches of the regular season with an 8-9 record. The Spartans improved to 11-9 overall.
 
The Lions will be back in action Tuesday, April 9 as they travel to Florida Southern for a 4 p.m. match.
 
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.