October 31, 2014
No. 1 Spartans Spook No. 17 Mocs in SSC Action
Box score
LAKELAND, Fla. - Kicking off another weekend
of Sunshine State Conference action, the No. 1 University of Tampa
Spartans volleyball team (22-1, 10-0 SSC) defeated the No. 17
Florida Southern Moccasins (18-5, 9-2 SSC), Friday night.
The 3-1 victory (25-22, 25-18, 22-25, 25-20) marks Tampa's
46th-consecutive Sunshine State Conference victory, a school and
conference record that dates back to 2011. In addition, the triumph
marks the Spartans' tenth win over a team ranked in the AVCA top-25
poll this season, and propels No. 1 Tampa to a 22-1 overall
record.
Despite the Moccasins taking the first set in the match, Tampa
responded quickly to take the first two sets and go ahead by a 2-0
score. Florida Southern gained some momentum in set three, but it
would not be enough as the No. 1 Spartans took home a 3-1 victory
and their 22nd win of the season.
Junior All-American Berkley Whaley led the offense for the
Spartans in the victory, recording 17 kills to lead all players.
The outside hitter earned a .444 attack percentage on the
night.
In addition to Whaley, juniors Megan Burke, Marissa Lisenbee,
and Jessica Wagner also led the Spartans' offense. Burke, who
swatted 13 kills on the evening, registered a .409 attack average
on the night, while Lisenbee tallied 12 kills of her own. Middle
blocker Jessica Wagner led the charge for the Spartans in attacking
with a .529 average, earning 11 kills on the evening.
Senior setter Kahley Patrick maintained a strong presence on
the court in the victory, leading her squad with 54 assists and 20
digs. Her defensive performance came in just four digs shy of her
career high.
Whaley also held her own defensively, earning 14 digs to
collect her fourth double-double of the season.
Libero Molly McAlvany also earned double-digit digs on the
evening, tallying 11.
The Spartans will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 1 for a
Sunshine State Conference contest at Saint Leo University. The
match is slated for 4 p.m. at the Lions' home court in Saint Leo,
Fla.
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.