Lisenbee Propels Spartans’ Streak to Four
UT Improves to a Perfect 4-0 after the Tampa Classic
TAMPA, Fla. - After beginning the Tampa Classic Tournament with two victories, the Tampa Spartans returned to play on Saturday to defeat both Tusculum College and No. 24 University of Indianapolis and improve to 4-0 on the season.
The Spartans began the day with a 3-0 victory over the visiting Tusculum Pioneers (25-13, 25-19, 25-20), before taking a 3-0 win over the visiting No. 24 Indianapolis Greyhounds (25-19, 25-18, 25-23).
Sophomore Allee Stelogeannis led the offensive attack for the Spartans in the first contest of the afternoon, swatting 12 kills and earning two service aces. Junior Marissa Lisenbee followed suit with 11 kills and an impressive .917 attack percentage.
Setters Gina Clarke and Kahley Patrick shared responsibilities during the match, recording 20 and 15 assists, respectively.
As a squad, the Spartans stayed strong offensively, rallying for a team attack percentage of .458. They registered a team 39 kills.
A flexible lineup offered numerous Spartans the opportunity to see playing time, allowing for twelve players to record digs and 16 players to make appearances.
Both junior Jessica Wagner and senior Jackie Neff led the squad
defensively, tallying four blocks apiece.
Later in the evening, the Spartans took on No. 24 Indianapolis, who
captured the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship and made
their way to the NCAA Midwest Regional during the 2013 season.
Despite facing their third top-ranked opponent in days, the Spartans rallied for another victory, propelling them to an undefeated 4-0 record.
It was Lisenbee who sparked the offense during the match, registering double-digit kills for the second time in a mere seven hours. In addition to Lisenbee's 17 kills, junior All-American Berkley Whaley recorded 14 of her own to contribute to the team's 49 total.
Patrick again contributed heavily from her setter position, tallying 47 for a season high. She also matched freshman libero Kasey Reynolds dig for dig. The pair earned nine digs apiece,
Defensively, the Spartans stayed strong at the net, tallying ten blocks to match a season-high set on Thursday night against No. 13 Ferris State. Wagner again led her squad with four.
On the day, the Spartans rallied for an astounding 84 kills. So far this season, they have yet to play a five-set match.
The Spartans will return to play when they compete in the Colorado Premier Classic on Friday, Sep. 12 to Saturday, Sep. 13. While away, Tampa will compete against top-ranked teams including Southwest Minnesota State, Concordia, Minnesota-Duluth, and BYU-Hawaii.
Live stats will be made available through www.tampaspartans.com.
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