Tampa Earns Dramatic Comeback Victory to Keep Title Defense Alive

TAMPA, Fla. - After finding themselves in a 2-0 deficit, The University of Tampa volleyball team battled back for a 3-2 victory over Lynn University in the NCAA South Regional semifinals. The Spartans improved to 30-2 on the season while Lynn fell to 22-12 overall.

The first two games remained close, as both were tied at 28 apiece before Lynn registered 30-28 and 32-30 victories. The Spartans responded with a 30-20 game three triumph and, after trailing 19-16 in game four, went on a 7-1 run en route to a 30-25 win. With Lynn leading 7-6 in game five, Tampa took five straight points to put the game out of reach as the deciding game went 15-11 in favor of the Spartans.

Annalea Warren provided a much-needed spark off the bench for UT, finishing with a career-high 16 kills. Warren also registered new career highs with 10 digs and four blocks, two of which were solo.

Katelen Dixon led the Spartans with 18 kills as she was among five Spartans with double figures in kills. Erin Clark added 16 kills while Alisha Green finished with 15. Green led all Spartans with a .429 hitting percentage.

Gabriela Saade led Tampa with 54 assists, though Meghan Sherman turned in an excellent match while playing sparingly. Sherman finished with nine assists, two kills and a block.

Margeaux Sinibaldi came three digs shy of her UT school record 37 digs as she finished with 34. The UT defense, which held Lynn to a .193 hitting percentage, also saw Camila Saade record a season-high 19 digs. Gabriela Saade added 13 while Warren also notched a double figure effort.

Green led UT with six blocks as Warren's four and Clark's two marked Tampa's multi-block efforts. The Spartans, who finished with a .246 hitting percentage, also registered nine service aces while Lynn had just one.

Tampa will now meet Sunshine State Conference rival Florida Southern College on Saturday for the rights to advance to the NCAA Elite Eight. The match is scheduled for 7 p.m.