#3 Spartans Wrap Up Perfect Weekend With A Pair Of Wins

LAKELAND, Fla. - The No. 3 University of Tampa Spartans (18-3) volleyball team took a pair of matches from West Florida University (15-6) and West Alabama University (7-15) on the final day of the South Region Crossover hosted by Florida Southern College. Tampa took care of UWF 3-1 and then swept UWA in the nightcap to finish a perfect 6-0 against Gulf South Conference opponents this season.

In the first game, the Argos capitalized on several Tampa service errors to take an early lead in the first set and led by as much as five at one point. The Spartans slowly mounted a comeback and finally evened the score at 21 on a service ace by Melissa Vanderhall. From there, the teams exchanged points until Tampa was finally able to break away for the 27-25 win.

Both offenses were efficient in frame with Tampa notching a .472 attack percentage while West Florida hit at a .325 clip. Kaleigh Cunningham led the attack with five kills and Danielle Selkridge converted four kills in seven attempts.

UWF answered back with a 25-23 victory in set two as the lead changed hands five times throughout the frame. Tampa led 12-8 before the Argos used an 8-1 run to regain the advantage. Although the Spartans were able to cut the deficit to one, a kill by Chandler Carney thwarted another Tampa rally and evened the match at one for the Argos.

The Spartans came out firing in the third set, taking a 7-0 lead on the way to a 25-11 victory. Cunningham and Selkridge each tallied six kills while West Florida could only muster five in the frame.

Tampa wrapped the match up with a 25-18 decision in the fourth set as the Spartans slammed home 16 kills to complete the season sweep over the Argonauts.

Cunningham registered a season-high 17 kills in the contest followed by 14 from Selkridge, who did so at a .520 rate. Vanderhall recorded 11 kills and Eva Dupay finished with nine along with nine digs. Senior setter Meghan Sherman dished out 49 assists and was a dig shy of a double-double. She also converted four kills on six tries and assisted in a block.

Defensively, Julie Howlett was the only Spartan in double figures in digs with 17. Tampa put up nine blocks as opposed to just three by West Florida.

Katie Johnson led UWF offensively with 20 kills followed by 11 from Chelsea Wilhoite.

Game two went a little smoother for the Spartans as they handled the Tigers of West Alabama by scores of 25-14, 25-17, and 25-17.

UT continued its solid offensive efficiency in the first set against the Tigers, putting down 14 kills on a .367 attack percentage. Camille Hanks got the start and contributed with four kills on six attempts while Cunningham added four more to end the contest with nine.

Tampa then went to its bench in the middle of the second set, combining for eight kills on the way to a 25-17 decision. Holly Reschke and Brianne Yeates entered the match and each recorded two kills.

The final set mirrored the previous one as Tampa finished the sweep with another 25-17 win. UT played four freshmen in the frame and Reschke led the way with five kills.

She finished with seven kills on the match and freshman Kaylee Koetter handed out a season-high 11 assists in relief of Sherman.

The Spartans registered a .317 attack percentage, making it the fifth time in six matches that Tampa has eclipsed the .300 mark.
Tampa returns home Tuesday to take on Eckerd at 7 p.m. UT will offer live stats and a webcast through www.tampaspartans.com.

Fans may also follow University of Tampa athletics on Twitter (www.twitter.com/utspartans) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/tampaspartans). UT also offers blAst, a free text messaging service that sends text alerts following all Spartan events. To sign up, please register at www.tampaspartans.com.