St. Petersburg, Fla. – Rollins battled through another five-set road contest on Saturday, falling to Saint Leo in a tight match (25–14, 24–26, 25–27, 25–20, 15–17).
The Tars opened strong, building an 8–4 advantage behind several early kills from Cameron Grange. Emma Gongora helped extend the lead with two kills and back-to-back service aces to secure the first set. Rollins carried that momentum into the second, using solid defense from Willow Barron and Marta Tsaneva at the net and offensive contributions from Gongora and Jenna Garza to stay out front. Saint Leo battled back late, taking advantage of a few miscues to even the score at 22–22. The teams traded points until the Lions edged out the frame to even the match.
Saint Leo's momentum continued into the third, jumping ahead 13–5 before Rollins stormed back. Kills from Grange, Gongora, and Tsaneva, paired with an assisted block from Tsaneva and Barron, brought the Tars back within reach. Robinson Repass and Gongora delivered key kills to tie it 16–16, but the Lions capitalized on consecutive errors late to steal the set and take a 2–1 lead. The Tars bounced back in the fourth with a 9–2 start, fueled by balanced offense and strong defense. Makayla Moran highlighted the frame, powering Rollins to a 25–20 win to force a fifth.
The deciding set saw more back-and-forth action, with Moran, Tsaneva, and Gongora combining to give Rollins an early 3–1 lead. Saint Leo rallied to tie things at 5–5, but a Gongora kill and a solo block from Vivian Scuteri flipped the advantage back to the Tars. Down 11–14, Rollins fought off match points behind a clutch Moran kill and two Lion errors, taking a 15–14 lead. Saint Leo answered with a kill and benefited from two narrowly missed Rollins swings to close out the match.
Despite the setback, the Tars posted several standout performances. Moran led the way with 12 kills on a .611 hitting percentage and added eight total blocks (two solo, six assists). Gongora tied her collegiate career high with 19 kills and added 12 digs, while Grange and Tsaneva also reached double-digit kills. Molly Morris tallied a collegiate career-high 33 assists to guide the offense, and libero Sarah Seabrooke anchored the defense with 29 digs.
Rollins falls to 15–15 overall and 4–13 in SSC play, while Saint Leo improves to 2–21 (1–16 SSC). The Tars return to action on Tuesday, Nov. 18, for a 7 p.m. matchup inside Warden Arena against Embry-Riddle.
