SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Rollins Tars
volleyball team fell on the road in a Sunshine State Conference
match against No. 24 Saint Leo, 3-0 (25—18, 25-22, 25-17),
Tuesday evening at the Bowman Center.
In the first set, Rollins (14-6, 1-3 SSC) tied the match at two
before Saint Leo (16-3, 2-2) went on an 8-0 run to secure a 10-2
lead. The Tars would come within six points on a couple of
occasions, but their .025 attacking percentage in the first frame
sealed their fate.
The Tars came back in the second set to play even volleyball
with the nationally-ranked Lions. The teams stayed within three
points of one another the entire frame. The Tars held a 16-15
advantage after an kill from Lacey Malarky, but three unanswered points from
the Lions gave them an 18-16 lead. Junior Nikki Hartman ended the Lions' rally with an
outside kill down the line. After Saint Leo took a three-point
lead at 23-20, the Tars and Lions exchanged points to 24-21.
Rollins claimed one more point on a Lions' attacking error, but a
Jenna Jordan kill captured the Lions' victory.
In the final stanza, Rollins' .026 attacking percentage with
eight kills and seven attacking errors caused the final outcome.
Saint Leo's Jordan owned the final frame with eight of her own
kills, while Michelle Nogueras recorded 11 assists in the final
set.
Senior outside hitter Stephanie Nichols collected 11 kills in the match
with a .219 percentage. Malarky registered 24 assists with three
kills and an attacking percentage of .750.
Defensively, Hartman had the team-high 12 digs, while reigning
SSC Defensive Player of the Week, Phoebe Corder tallied 11.
Leading the way for Saint Leo was Jordan's match-high 13 kills.
Leah Perry followed with seven kills, while Nogueras put forth the
best all-around effort with 30 assists and five kills.
The Tars return to action against No. 5 Tampa, Thursday, Oct. 2
at 7 p.m.
