October 3, 2014
No. 1 Spartans Upend Fighting Knights in 3-0 Fashion
Box score
TAMPA, Fla. - The No. 1 University of Tampa
volleyball team (12-1, 5-0 SSC) improved to 12-1 on the season
Friday night, with a 3-0 triumph (25-12, 25-17, 25-18) over the
visiting Lynn University Fighting Knights (6-6, 2-3 SSC). The win
signaled the Spartans' 41st-consecutive Sunshine State Conference
victory, a school and conference record that dates back to
2011.
The match quickly fell in favor of the Spartans, as Tampa
rallied off seven-straight points in the first set for an early
lead. From there on, the pace of the game was set, and the Spartans
cruised to a 25-12 first set win.
After a short intermission, Tampa and Lynn returned to the
court for the second set of the evening. Although the first
fourteen points on each side occurred nearly point for point, the
Spartans pulled away mid-way through and forced a 25-17 second set
victory.
With the game in their favor, Tampa hit the court in set three
thirsty for victory. The top-ranked team did not disappoint, taking
control early in the third set for a 25-18 victory and earning a
3-0 match win.
As a team, the Spartans earned a .402 attack average on the
night, propelled in large part by junior outside hitter Berkley
Whaley's 13 kills. Whaley currently leads the Sunshine State
Conference in kills per set.
Collectively, the Spartans recorded 42 kills on the evening,
with six Tampa players earning over a .300 attack
percentage.
Senior setter Kahley Patrick, who leads the conference in
assists to date, recorded 34 assists on the evening, guiding the
Spartans to their third-highest attack average of the season.
At the net, senior Meagan Burke and junior Marissa Lisenbee
shined defensively, recording six and five blocks, respectively.
The victory marks the sixth time this season that the Spartans'
defense has recorded double-digit blocks.
Libero Molly McAlvany contributed strongly from the back row
as well, recording 10 digs, while Whaley followed her lead with
eight and Patrick registered seven. The Spartans forced 22 Lynn
errors on the night, as the Fighting Knights finished the match
with a .052 attack average.
The Spartans will host the Florida Tech Panthers on Saturday,
Oct. 4 to wrap up the week's play. The afternoon Sunshine State
Conference contest is set for 4:00 p.m. from the Martinez Center on
the campus of the University of Tampa.
Live stats will be made available through
www.tampaspartans.com.
Fans may 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.