BIG RAPIDS, Mich. – The Saint Leo volleyball team opened up the Natalia Koryzna era with a pair of tough losses at the Ferris State Tournament in Big Rapids, Mich. The Lions opened the season by facing the hosts of the tournament Ferris State in a back-and-forth match which resulted in a 3-1 setback. Saint Leo then took on the 13^th-ranked Chargers of Hillsdale College falling 3-0. The team's kills leader from the 2019 championship season, Ashley Quero, led the team with 16 kills over the two matches.
 
The two losses dropped the Lions to 0-2 to start the season while Ferris State and Hillsdale each went 2-0. The Lions will have another two tough matches tomorrow starting at 9 a.m. with 21^st-ranked Missouri-St. Louis before taking on McKendree at 11:30 a.m.
 
Senior Ashley Quero led the Lions in the opening match against Ferris State registering a team-high 11 kills on 36 swings with three errors for a .222 attack percentage. Quero was one dig away from a double-double as she posted nine digs along with a service ace and a pair of assists. Junior Ally-Reese Williams just missed out on double-figures with nine kills while adding 12 digs and a block assist.
 
Junior Skylar Singleton dished out a team-best 27 assists while picking up her first double-double of the year with 13 digs. She also led the team with four block assists and picked up four kills for a well-rounded match. Senior libero Payton Bellano took the top spot in digs with 21 while also earning a service ace.
 
The Lions dropped the opening set 25-18 before roaring back with a 25-23 victory in the second set. The Bulldogs took control of the match with a strong 25-14 third set victory before closing out the contest with a 25-18 win in the fourth.
 
The Lions posted a .073 attack percentage as a team while the Bulldogs were able to hit for .204. The Bulldogs also had a 13-8 advantage in blocks and a 5-4 edge in service aces.
 
In the second match of the day, it was another senior taking the lead in kills as Brooke Turner put down a team-best eight kills while posting two blocks. Freshman Colby Stempkowski came in just behind with six kills from her middle position while also tallying a block. Two others finished with five kills each in the match including junior-transfer Elizabeth Sandoval and Quero. Sandoval added a non-libero best eight digs while Quero had five.
 
Singleton and senior Anna Garrett split the setting duties with Singleton finishing with 15 assists and Garret picking up 10. Bellano led the team in digs with 16 while also earning a pair of assists.
 
The Chargers took home the victory 25-17, 25-14 and 25-17.
 
The Lions improved their attack percentage from the first match finishing at .114 but the Chargers were able to post a .267 percentage in the victory. The Chargers also out-blocked the Lions 9-2 and earned six service aces compared to the Lions' one.   
 
The Green and Gold will be back in action tomorrow at 9 a.m. versus 21^st-ranked Missouri-St. Louis followed by an 11:30 a.m. match-up with McKendree.
 
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.