Spartans Use Late Rally to Defeat Clarion

LAKELAND, Fla. - The fourth-ranked University of Tampa (7-0) volleyball team avoided an upset with a dominating effort in the third and fourth sets to defeat Clarion (9-3) by a score of 3-1.

After winning the first set by a 27-25 score, Tampa dropped the second 25-22. The Spartans responded to the loss with 25-6 and 25-13 wins in the final two sets.

Tampa had 12 of its 14 attack errors in the first two sets, hitting just .176 and .205 respectively in the first two frames. Following the set two loss, the UT offense was nearly unstoppable as it registered a combined 24 kills to just two errors in the final two sets.

Outside hitters Kaleigh Cunningham led the way for the Spartans with four kills apiece in the third set. Cunningham was a perfect 4-4 while Vanderhall was 4-5. Gabriela Saade also added four service aces in the third set as Tampa won by 19 points, marking its largest victory margin since moving to 25-point scoring in 2008.

Vanderhall finished with a team-high 17 kills as Cunningham added 13 off the bench. Vanderhall also had a team-high six service aces while Gabriela Saade notched a team-high 26 assists.

Julie Howlett was the lone Spartan in double figures in digs with 10. Sam Macks and Danielle MacDonald added five blocks apiece while Cunningham had three.

Tampa is back in action on Saturday as it faces #17 West Florida and West Georgia to conclude the South Region Crossover in Lakeland. The matches, which start at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., respectively, represent the first South Region contests for the Spartans. Live stats for both matches are available through www.tampaspartans.com.