TAVARES, Fla. – Saint Leo beach volleyball posted two 5-0 wins to open the year undefeated at Hickory Point Beach Saturday afternoon. The Lions faced both Warner University and Lake Sumter Community College at the site of the 2020 AVCA Small College Beach Volleyball Championship. 

Redshirt sophomore Anna Garrett and junior Nina Vattovaz opened the year in the No. 1 spot for the Lions and picked up a pair of victories. The duo took down the Warner opponents 21-14, 21-17 and topped the Lake Sumter squad 21-16, 21-13. 

Freshmen Madi Certain and Michelle Cuervo posted the most lopsided win of the opening match as they won at No. 4 21-9, 21-9 versus Warner. After breezing through their opening match they took part in the most highly-contested match of the day at No. 4 versus LSCC. The duo had to go three sets as they won the opening game 21-13 before falling in the second 23-21. The Lion duo pushed in the third and won 15-8. 

Another newcomer appeared in the lineup at No. 2 in the opening match as freshman Marissa Rakauskas teamed up with veteran Brooke Turner. The pair won 21-16, 22-20 in a tight match. Rakauskas then moved to No. 3 in the LSCC match where she teamed up with sophomore Arlaina Stephenson. The Lions took the match 21-19, 21-15.

Sophomore Payton Bellano teamed up with Stephenson in the opening match at No. 3 where the pair won 21-17, 21-9. She then moved up to No. 2 with Turner and the pair shot out of the gates for a 21-6, 21-10.

Freshman Phoebe Hammond and sophomore Kirsten Kaiser completed the lineup at No. 5 in the opening match. They went on to win 21-14, 21-15.Freshman Megan Keating then entered the lineup in the second match to team up with Kaiser. The pair cruised to a 21-14, 21-8. 
 
Results | Records:
Saint Leo 5, Warner 0 | SLU 1-0, WU 0-1
Saint Leo 5, Lake Sumter 0 | SLU 2-0, LSSC 0-1
 
Saint Leo 5, Warner 0
1. Garrett - Vattovaz (SLU) def. Gonzalez - Ruby (WU) 21-14, 21-17
2. Rakauskas - Turner (SLU) def. Hughes - Anthony (WU) 21-16, 22-20
3. Bellano - Stephenson (SLU) def. Bergeron - Muench (WU) 21-17, 21-9
4. Certain - Cuervo (SLU) def. Ratledge - Simpson (WU) 21-9, 21-9
5. Hammond - Kaiser (SLU) def. Griffin - Hernandez (WU) 21-14, 21-15

Saint Leo 5, Lake Sumter 0
1. Garrett - Vattovaz (SLU) def. Martin - McGinnis (LSCC) 21-16, 21-13
2. Bellano - Turner (SLU) def. Schwartz - Lim (LSCC) 21-6, 21-10
3. Rakauskas - Stephenson (SLU) def. Allard - Diggs (LSCC) 21-19, 21-15
4. Certain - Cuervo (SLU) def. Franklin - Carpenter (LSCC) 21-13, 21-23, 15-8
5. Keating - Kaiser (SLU) def. Morton - Myer (LSCC) 21-14, 21-8
 
Up Next
The Lions will travel to West Palm Beach, Fla. on Feb. 15 for a round robin with Webber and Palm Beach Atlantic. Saint Leo will take on Webber at 11 a.m. before matching up with the Sailfish at 1 p.m.
 
For more information on the Saint Leo women's basketball program, 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.