Zachery Stifles Saint Leo in Four-Sets

TAMPA, Fla. - The No. 5 University of Tampa volleyball team outdueled Saint Leo University by a 3-1 final score on Tuesday evening in the Bob Martinez Athletics Center.

The Spartans used a strong net-presence to improve to 18-4 on the season with a 8-1 mark in Sunshine State Conference action while the visiting Lions fall to 15-7, 6-4 in SSC play.

The back-and-forth battle saw 27 tie scores and 13 lead changes, as Tampa came away with a win behind set scores of 25-17, 26-24, 23-25 and 25-23 to cushion its lead in the conference.

UT stifled the Saint Leo attack, blocking 10 swings as a team with middle blocker Demery Zachery posting a career-effort on defense. The junior stopped a career-high eight total attacks, pitching in seven assisted blocks and a solo stop to lead the team. The Brunswick, Ga. native added five kills at a .333 attack percentage for the Spartans.

Senior Marissa Lisenbee was a force from the right pin, grounding 18 kills to lead the match, adding three blocks on defense. Fellow senior Berkley Whaley spun a double-double, blasting 13 kills while adding 15 digs for the home team in addition to a pair of assisted blocks.

Setter Gina Clarke tuned the offense with 46 assists, adding 17 digs for a double-double performance. The 17 digs is a career-best for the redshirt junior. Libero Logan Holanchock chipped in a team-best 20 digs for the Spartans as the squad totaled 71 digs across the four-set match.

The Saint Leo offense was led by senior Jillian Stolzenburg, as the middle blocker terminated 14 kills at a .522 attack percentage. Junior Jamee Townsend was stellar on defense, grabbing 28 digs for a match-high.

Tampa continues its home-stand with a Thursday night contest against provisional SSC foe Embry-Riddle. In its last meeting with the Eagles, UT took a 3-0 win to improve to 5-0 all-time against ERAU. Jessica Wagner and Whaley led the charge with 12 kills each as the Spartans took a sweep on the road.

Live stats as well as a live video for the 7 p.m. match will be made available through www.tampaspartans.com.

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