Box Score WEST PALM BEACH, FL - Nicole Mattson came up with one of the best performances of her career as Florida Southern College volleyball rallied past Saint Leo in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Division II South Regional on Thursday at Rubin Arena. The Moccasins (21-10) fell behind 2-1 after three sets, but earned a gritty fourth-set win and dominated the decisive fifth set to knock the Lions (20-12) out of the postseason.
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Florida Southern jumped out to a quick 6-3 lead in the first set, but Saint Leo regained momentum with a 4-0 run to take a 7-6 lead. The Mocs responded with three-straight points for a 9-7 lead before the teams began to trade jabs. Neither team would score two-straight points until a 3-0 run in the late stages gave the Lions a 19-18 edge and forced a Florida Southern timeout. The Moccasins responded by scoring six of the next 10 points to put Saint Leo on the brink at 24-23. After the Lions briefly staved off defeat, Florida Southern scored back-to-back points for a 26-24 first-set win.
• The second set was a tight battle until Saint Leo broke through with a 4-0 run at the midpoint to take a 15-12 lead. Florida Southern was never able to recover, and would get no closer than three points the rest of the way as the Lions took a 25-18 victory.
• Saint Leo dominated the third set, jumping out to a 10-3 lead en route to a 25-15 victory. The Moccasins trailed by as many as 11 points late in the set, as the Lions grabbed a 2-1 advantage in the match.
• With its back to the wall, Florida Southern came up huge with a 25-22 win in the fourth set to force a decisive fifth frame. Saint Leo held a 14-9 lead midway through, but a 6-0 run by the Moccasins forced the Lions to take a timeout as FSC grabbed a 15-14 lead. The Lions were able to draw even at 20-20 and force a Florida Southern timeout, but the Mocs hung on and stayed alive with a 25-22 fourth-set win.
• The fifth and final set was dominated by the Moccasins, who never trailed after grabbing a 2-0 lead. Florida Southern gained breathing room with a 4-0 run that turned an 7-5 advantage into an 11-5 lead. It would prove too much for Saint Leo to overcome as Florida Southern advanced to the semifinals of the South Regional for the sixth-straight year.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Florida Southern entered the contest as the No. 7 seed, while Saint Leo came in as the No. 2 seed. The Moccasins improved to 71-9 all-time against the Lions, including 4-1 in the NCAA Tournament. Florida Southern also knocked Saint Leo out in the first round of the South Regional in 2006, 2007 and 2013.
• The Mocs improved to 24-32 all-time in the NCAA Division II Tournament, and has earned at least one win in each of its last six NCAA Tournament appearances. This season marks FSC's 30th NCAA Tournament appearance, good for fourth all-time among NCAA Division II schools.
• Nicole Mattson finished with 23 kills, 16 digs and four block assists in the match. She hit .286 on the day, and committed just five errors in 63 attack attempts. Anna Tovo finished wuth 16 kills to extend her streak of double-digit kill performances to 44-straight matches.
• Bethany Besancenez finished the night with 48 assists to bring her career total to 2,286, good for 10th in school history. She also ranks eighth in school history with 9.18 assists per set during her career.
• Brindl Langley finished with 18 digs to improve her career total to 1,993. She is already the school record holder for career digs, and is on pace to surpass 2,000 career digs on Friday.
UP NEXT
• Florida Southern squares off with Tampa in the South Regional semifinal at 5 p.m. on Friday. The Spartans are the No. 3 seed in the region, and took down No. 6 Lynn in the first round. The Mocs and Spartans played each other in last year's semifinals, with FSC earning a 3-2 win.
• The Moccasins and Spartans have faced each other 12 times in the NCAA South Regional, with Tampa holding a 7-5 edge in those contests.
