Box Score LAKELAND - Florida Southern concluded its three-match homestand here Tuesday evening by collecting a four-set victory over Saint Leo (25-15, 22-25, 26-24, 25-15) in Sunshine State Conference action at Jenkins Field House.
The victory, which extended the Moccasins win streak to three straight matches and its home court win streak to eight consecutive matches, improved FSC's record to 10-4 overall and 6-1 in the SSC.
"It was a good win tonight. Saint Leo is a good team," Moccasin head coach Jill Stephens said following her team's eighth home win of the year. "Our kids, though, were able to stay composed and did a good job when faced with adversity."
Saint Leo (9-6 overall, 4-3 SSC) did something in Tuesday's match that no other team had done this season in Lakeland and that was take a set from the Moccasins on its home court. Prior to Tuesday's match, the Mocs had won its first seven matches at home this season all in straight sets. The Lions took the second set, 25-22 to snap FSC's 22-set win streak at home.
On the night, the Mocs hit over .300 as they finished with a .307 attack percentage and held SLU to a .151 hitting percentage, but the Mocs were able to keep the Lions in the match thanks to committing a season high 15 service errors, including a combined eight service errors in the second and third sets.
Leading the way for the Mocs offensively tonight was freshman outside hitter Anna Tovo (Aiken, S.C.) as she finished with a career-high 12 kills and hit .423 in the win. In addition to Tovo, junior middle blocker Kayshia Brady (Welaka, Fla.) returned to the line-up after missing both matches last weekend and finished with 11 kills, a season high six blocks and hit .556, while redshirt senior setter Ali Skayhan (Beaverton, Ore.), who was named this week's SSC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday, had 10 kills, 40 assists, six digs and hit a match and season-high .769. The double-double was Skayhan's team best ninth of the season.
Senior outside hitter Kate Stromberg (Lexington, Ky.) and junior right side hitter Kendall Marotti (LaBelle, Fla.) each added eight kills and combined for 17 digs as Stromberg finished with 13 digs and Marotti had four on the night.
SLU, who had its two-match win streak snapped with Tuesday's setback, jumped out to an early 4-2 lead in the opening set, before the Mocs responded with an 11-2 run capped by a Stromberg kill to push out to a 13-6 lead. After three straight errors by the Mocs brought SLU within 13-9, the Mocs used an 8-3 run to push its lead to 21-12. Back-to-back FSC errors brought SLU within 21-14, before FSC closed out the opening set by scoring four of the final five points to post a 25-15 win. In the set, FSC hit .241 and held SLU to a -.138 hitting percentage.
Unlike the first set, the second set was a back-and-forth battle as the teams combined for 13 ties and four lead changes. In the set, SLU jumped out to an early 5-3 lead and led 10-8 when the Mocs used a 4-1 run capped by a Stromberg kill to take a 12-11 lead. The lead, though, was shortlived as SLU responded with a 5-2 scoring run capped by back-to-back kills from Hope Lemon and Lauren Campbell to take a 16-14 lead. The teams would take turns with the lead until SLU used a 4-1 run to turn a 19-18 deficit into a 22-20 lead. The Mocs, though, wouldn't go away without a fight as they scored two straight points, including tying the set on a service ace by senior libero Catherine Brusie (North Branch, Mich.). That would be as close as FSC would get as the Lions scored the set's final three points to post a 25-22 win and tie the match at a set apiece.
The decisive set in Tuesday's match was the third one as SLU held a 22-18 lead, before the Mocs scored five consecutive points, including three straight kills from Tovo and capped the run with a kill by Skayhan to take a 23-22 lead. After a kill from Alexa Griffith-Hardy retied the set at 23, freshman middle blocker Allie Geary (DeLand, Fla.) gave the Mocs the lead again on a kill. Lauren Campbell would tie the set back up on a kill, but the Lions would commit back-to-back errors to seal the Mocs 26-24 win.
"We got some big plays at key moments in that third set that helped turn things around in our favor," the Mocs coach added.
The fourth set belonged to the Mocs as they scored the set's first six points and never looked back as they eventually pushed its lead to 19-7 following a solo block by Brady. The Lions, though, would answer by scoring seven of the next 10 points to pull within 22-14. That would be as close as the Lions would get as the Mocs closed out the set and match by scoring three of the final four points, including capping the win with a kill from Stromberg.
SLU was paced offensively on the night by Griffith-Hardy as she finished with a match-high 14 kills and hit .462 to pace the Lions attack. Along with Griffith-Hardy, Campbell added 10 kills and 10 digs for a double-double. For the night, SLU hit .151 and committed 25 attack errors and had 44 kills.
The Lions outdug the Mocs, 67-52 as reigning SSC Defensive Player of the Week Yaidimar Santiago had a match-high 25 digs. The Mocs defense was paced by 13 digs from Stromberg and sophomore outside hitter Brindl Langley (Camas, Wash.), while Bruise added 12.
FSC, who entered the match second in the SSC in blocks per set, recorded 10 on the night and also added six service aces, including three from Brusie.
The Mocs will close out the first half portion of SSC play this coming weekend as they travel to Winter Park for a 4 p.m. match on Saturday, Oct. 11 at Rollins (10-5 overall, 4-2 SSC). Following the Rollins match, the Mocs will remain on the road as they play a non-conference match on Monday, Oct. 13 at 5 p.m. in West Palm Beach against 22nd-ranked Palm Beach Atlantic (16-0).
