SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Saint Leo volleyball team closed out the home portion of its 2021 schedule Saturday night as the Lions hosted Rollins College on Senior Night. Saint Leo honored its four seniors who have been part of the program from four to six years and have been a part of three NCAA Tournament teams including the 2019 NCAA South Region Championship team. The Lions opened the match with the Tars in dominating fashion taking the first set 25-13 before winning the match 3-1 with victories in the second and fourth sets.
 
Saint Leo honored Payton Bellano, Anna Garrett, Ashley Quero and Brooke Turner prior to the match and the seniors went on to shine on the court during the match as well. Bellano led the team with 21 digs from her libero position while also picking up a pair of service aces. Garrett ran the offense and handed out 40 assists over the four sets while earning a block and two kills. Turner finished second on the team in kills with 12 while tying for the team lead with an impressive career-high five service aces. Quero continued to motivate the team from the bench as she recovers from a season-ending injury.
 
Bellano, Garrett and Quero will all leave the Saint Leo program with top-five records including Garrett who sits second in the record book in career assists and Bellano who has the chance to move into the top-two in career digs. Quero ranks fourth in career kills at Saint Leo while Turner will go down in history as the first Saint Leo beach volleyball recruit in program history.
 
Sophomore Madelyn Eden took the top spot in kills and tied for the team lead in blocks Saturday night. The Bartow, Fla. native put down a career-high 13 kills while stuffing five Rollins attacks at the net. Redshirt junior Elizabeth Sandoval joined Eden and Turner in double-figures with 11 kills while adding a pair of blocks.
 
Sophomore Ally-Reese William came up just shy of double-figures with nine kills while tying Eden for the lead in blocks with five.
 
The Lions had a season-high 13 service aces in the match with Turner and junior Skylar Singleton leading the way with five each.
 
Saint Leo jumped out to a quick lead following the Senior Night ceremony with four quick points which included a pair of kills from Turner, one from Eden and a block from Eden and Williams. The Lions held the lead the entire set eventually walking away with a 25-13 victory.
 
The Lions again jumped out to a large lead in the second set, taking an 18-10 lead. The Tars battled back and cut the lead to just three at 23-20 but a service error and a kill from freshman Colby Stempkowski ended the period 25-21.
 
The Green and Gold led early again in the third set but a 5-0 run by the Tars flipped the lead into their favor at 13-11 The Tars eventually pushed their lead to six and held on down the stretch for a 25-21 win. The final set was much like the first with the Lions jumping out to an early advantage and not looking back. Part of the push included back-to-back-to-back service aces by Turner as the Lions took a 10-1 lead in the set. Saint Leo would coast down the stretch to a 25-15 victory and 3-1 match win.
 
The Tars did not have a single attacker in double-figures as Riley Spurlin and Lana Gerard led the way with nine kills each.
 
The Lions will return to action Friday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. as they hit the road for their final two matches of the season. Saint Leo will take on Lynn in Boca Raton on Friday before traveling to Palm Beach Atlantic on Saturday.
 
For the latest news, updates, and information on the Saint Leo volleyball program, 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.