INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – For the second-straight weekend the Saint Leo University volleyball team is taking on a tough field at another road tournament. The Lions face a quartet of northern opponents whom they rarely see on the court. On opening day of the UIndy Invitational the Lions squared off against the host Greyhounds of Indianapolis and the Panthers of Davenport. Saint Leo fell to the Greyhounds in a tough five-setter before knocking off the Panthers, who advanced to last season's Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament Championship. 3-0.
 
In the nightcap it was a dominating performance by the Lions as they swept the Panthers. Saint Leo hit .407 as a squad and put down 10 blocks in just three sets while allowing only one block on the other side of the net. Senior middle Anilise Fitzi was the lone Lion in double-figures as she nailed 11 kills with zero errors on 13 swings for an outstanding .846 attack percentage. The Walton, New Zealand native also tied for the team lead in blocks with five block assists.
 
Junior Ashley Quero and senior Victoria Omoregie came close to the double-digit mark as they had nine and seven kills, respectively in the victory. Senior Annabella Arcari tied Fitzi for the team lead in blocks as she also stuffed five opponent attacks.
 
The Lions won 25-18, 25-16 and 25-18 to claim the win.
 
In the opening match of the tournament the Lions faced the home team Greyhounds and it was a back-and-forth battle. The Lions had a better attack percentage, more kills, blocks and service aces but it was not enough to down the home squad.
 
UIndy won the opening set 25-22 before the Lions rattled off back-to-back victories in the second (25-16) and third (25-20) sets but the Greyhounds used a 25-22 fourth set and 15-12 fifth set to claim the victory.
 
Four Lions reached double-figures in the kills department with Fitzi leading the way with 15. She also posted a pair of service aces and three blocks while hitting at a .520 clip. Arcari added 14 kills as the two middles dominated play. Arcari also posted a trio of blocks in the match. The final two double-digit performers were junior Ashley Quero (14 kills) and senior Nina Vattovaz (12 kills).
 
Sophomore libero Payton Bellano led the squad with 19 digs while redshirt junior setter Anna Garrett had 41 assists.
 
Saint Leo will close out the UIndy Invitational tomorrow with a pair of matches against Northern Michigan and Saginaw Valley State.    
 
For the latest news, updates, and information on the 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.