Lynn University

BOCA RATON, Fla. - No. 12 Lynn closed out its home weekend in dominant fashion Saturday afternoon, sweeping Saint Leo 3-0 (25-13, 25-14, 25-23) inside the de Hoernle Sports and Cultural Center. The Fighting Knights overwhelmed the Lions with a .346 hitting percentage and 11 blocks while holding Saint Leo to a .077 clip. Lira Pukl Verdel led the attack with 13 kills on .423 hitting, while Lillia Neill put away 10 kills at a blistering .692 clip as Lynn improved to 11-2 overall and 3-1 in Sunshine State Conference play.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Set One: Lynn 25, Saint Leo 13
- Lynn came out firing as Ula Gorjup opened the afternoon with an ace before Pukl Verdel followed with the first of her 13 kills
- The two sides traded points early before back-to-back kills from Neill and another from Pukl Verdel gave the Fighting Knights an 8-5 advantage
- Lynn began to create separation at 10-8 as Pukl Verdel sparked a five-point surge that featured kills from Alexia Radulovic, Audrey Shaw and Zara Rendic
- Clara Maidantchik provided another spark from the service line, delivering consecutive aces during a four-point run that stretched the Fighting Knight lead to 19-9
- Neill and Pukl Verdel combined for four kills over the closing stretch as Lynn cruised to a 25-13 opening-set victory
- The Fighting Knights were nearly flawless offensively, pounding 16 kills against just two errors to hit .452
 
Set Two: Lynn 25, Saint Leo 14
- Saint Leo grabbed an early 5-3 advantage, but Lynn quickly settled in behind kills from Neill and Rendic
- Trailing 9-7, the Fighting Knights flipped the momentum with a 6-1 surge highlighted by kills from Pukl Verdel and Shaw, a Gorjup ace and a block from Radulovic and Shaw
- Lynn continued to pull away as Rendic delivered a pair of kills before Gorjup and Neill teamed up for a block to extend the advantage to 17-12
- With the Fighting Knights leading 18-13, Pukl Verdel and Rendic helped fuel another three-point run that pushed the margin to eight
- Lynn slammed the door by scoring the final four points of the frame, including a Shaw-Pukl Verdel block, to secure a commanding 25-14 victory
- The Fighting Knights hit .400 in the set while holding Saint Leo to seven kills and a .000 hitting percentage
 
Set Three: Lynn 25, Saint Leo 23
- The Lions provided their strongest challenge of the afternoon in a back-and-forth third set that featured 13 ties
- Lynn turned an early 3-1 deficit into a 7-4 advantage behind kills from Radulovic and Shaw, but Saint Leo battled back to pull even at 9-9
- Neither side could create much separation from there as Pukl Verdel began to take over, hammering three consecutive Lynn kills to put the Fighting Knights ahead 15-13
- Saint Leo responded and eventually grabbed a 20-18 advantage before kills from Rendic, Pukl Verdel and Neill powered Lynn back in front, 21-20
- The Lions answered once again to take a 22-21 lead, but Pukl Verdel tied the frame before Shaw put the Fighting Knights ahead 23-22
- After Saint Leo drew even at 23-23, Pukl Verdel delivered the go-ahead kill and followed with the match-clinching solo block to seal the 25-23 victory
- Lynn closed the final set with 17 kills and hit .250 to complete the straight-set sweep
 
FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS:
- Lynn improves to 11-2 overall and 3-1 in Sunshine State Conference play
- The Fighting Knights earned their second victory in as many days after defeating Eckerd in five sets Friday night
- Lynn hit .346 for the match, totaling 45 kills against just nine attacking errors
- The Fighting Knights held Saint Leo to .077 hitting and 26 kills
- Lynn finished with advantages in kills (45-26), blocks (11-4), assists (41-23) and digs (44-32)
- Pukl Verdel led all players with 13 kills on .423 hitting and added nine digs, three blocks and an ace
- Neill was nearly unstoppable offensively, posting 10 kills on 13 attacks with just one error for a .692 hitting percentage while adding five blocks
- Shaw finished with six kills on .385 hitting and added five blocks
- Radulovic recorded six kills and four blocks
- Rendic contributed seven kills and 10 digs
- Ula Gorjup dished out a match-high 36 assists, averaging 12.0 assists per set, while adding two aces and three blocks
- Maidantchik led Lynn with 11 digs and added two service aces
- Lynn hit better than .400 in each of the opening two sets, posting a .452 clip in the first and .400 in the second
- The Fighting Knights have now won 11 of their first 13 matches to open the season
 
UP NEXT:
No. 12 Lynn returns to the road next weekend, traveling to Winter Park to face Rollins on Friday, Oct. 2 at 7:00 p.m.