Spartans Garners Another Win to End Tampa Invite 2
TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa Beach Volleyball team concludes their second home tournament of the 2024 season, improving to a 7-7 record.
Following the 1-1 split from Day One, the No. 19 Tampa Spartans looked to garner a couple more wins under their belt, with the first duel against native rival, the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles. The Spartans knew that this was going to be a highly competitive match, and indeed it was. While the Eagles edged out a win, the Spartans did not go down without a fight as two pairings forced their FGCU opponents to a third. 1's pairing Olivia Margolies and Payton Brunick captured a highly contested first set while barely dropping the second. Putting up a strong effort, Margolies and Brunick were able to pull out a win in a third set nail-bitter for the Spartans. The other Tampa pairing that got on the scoreboard was Keely Hamilton and Madison Brunick, as the 4's pairing took a two-set victory.
After a long delay in between matches, the Spartans were ready to get back on court to compete against the Huskies for the first time in program history. Tampa came out fully charged and refreshed as Hamilton and Brunick won in convincing fashion at the 4's, being the first to get on the scoreboard. On Court Two, Cassidy Ehrie and Hailey Peterson clinched a thrilling first set, but continued to be challenged by their HCU opponents on the other side of the net. After losing the second, Ehrie and Peterson reignited a spark and dominated the third to extend Tampa's lead to 2-0 in the duel. Sophomore twins Hailey Wolfe and Nevaeh Wolfe switched to the 3's following the first match and would be the pairing that clinched the duel for the Spartans as the Wolfes emerged victorious in straight sets. With the day winding down, 2's pairing Angel Williams and Brooke Dow would take the court as the final match of the tournament. Making her collegiate debut, Dow put on a show with partner Williams as they perfectly executed points on the transition and would win the fourth match of the night in straight sets.
Florida Gulf Coast 3, Tampa 2
1. Olivia Margolies/Payton Brunick (UT) def. Kacie Johnson/Emma Soncrant (FGCU) 37-35, 19-21, 15-10
2. Shelby Beisner/Trinity Rosales (FGCU) def. Nevaeh Wolfe/Hailey Wolfe (UT) 21-12, 21-14
3. Nicole De Oliveira/Kaitlyn Luebbers (FGCU) def. Brooke Green/Angel Williams (UT) 21-8, 21-11
4. Keely Hamilton/Madison Brunick (UT) def. Jaci Carpenter/Sydney Majick (FGCU) 21-17, 23-21
5. Skylar English/Mia Thompson (FGCU) def. Cassidy Ehrie/Hailey Peterson (UT) 13-21, 21-18, 15-10
Tampa 4, Houston Christian 1
1. Kristen Kleymeyer/Abbey Bufkin (HCU) def. Olivia Margolies/Payton Brunick (UT) 21-17, 21-16
2. Brooke Dow/Angel Williams (FSU) def. Kristin Gilmour/Kylann Griffith (HCU) 21-15, 21-19
3. Nevaeh Wolfe/Hailey Wolfe (FSU) def. Rachel Heilbrun/Tatum Lockhardt (HCU) 21-19, 21-16
4. Keely Hamilton/Madison Brunick (FSU) def. Paige Palmer/Mary Alper (HCU) 21-10, 21-11
5. Cassidy Ehrie/Hailey Peterson (FSU) def. Killian Armstrong/Lauren Vickery (HCU) 30-28, 10-21, 15-8
Up Next: The nationally ranked Spartans hit the road to travel to Louisiana to compete in the Sugar Beach Bash next weekend.