Tampa to Meet Rival Florida Southern on the Road

LAKELAND, Fla. – The top-2 offenses in the Sunshine State Conference are set to battle on Tuesday as No. 19 University of Tampa will meet No. 21 Florida Southern College on the road for a 7 p.m. grudge match.

The Matchup: No. 19 University of Tampa (8-3, 2-1 SSC) vs. No. 21 Florida Southern College (8-3, 2-1 SSC)

• The Spartans and Mocs enter the contest as the No. 1 and No. 2 offenses in the SSC as UT is hitting .255 as a team while FSC sports a team attack percentage of .228.  Tampa also holds the top spot in the conference in kills with 13.9 kills per set.

• The rivalry continues as Tampa will meet a ranked opponent for the first time this season in No. 21 Florida Southern. FSC has faced No. 16 PBA for its first top-25 battle of the year.

• The reigning SSC Offensive Player of the Week will meet the reigning SSC Defensive Player of the Week as outside hitter Allee Stelogeannis picked up offensive honors for Tampa while libero Brindl Langley was named defensive athlete for Florida Southern.

Date/Time: Tuesday, September 27 at 7 p.m.

Location: Jenkins Field House | Lakeland, Fla.

Last Time Out: UT dealt Sunshine State Conference foe Rollins a 3-0 sweep in its previous matchup. The Spartans rolled through the Tars defense behind a 12-kill effort from Stelogeannis. The senior boasted a .417 attack clip while adding 10 digs for a double-double. Sophomore Alexandra Misca notched a career-high in attack percentage, terminating nine kills at a blistering .643 clip.

About the Spartans: Senior Stelogeannis leads the SSC in kills per set with an average of 4.68, grounding 192 total kills for a team-lead. The outside hitter ranks sixth in the conference in attack percentage with a formidable .309 clip from the outside pin. Middle blocker Misca is first in the SSC in attack percentage with an even .400 rate, .050 higher than the next closest athlete. Defensively, libero Logan Holanchock has held the back row efforts with 175 digs.

About the Mocs: FSC is led by outside hitter Anna Tovo, who has 189 kills across 11 matches.  The junior is hitting .244 on the year while contributing 126 digs and 15 blocks on defense. Senior Rachel Mostert is hitting .315 from the middle for FSC, grounding 83 kills in 10 matches. Langley manages the team's defense with 201 total digs for the Mocs.

Series History: Tampa holds the all-time series lead with a 70-57 record. In the last meeting between the two squads, FSC ended the Spartan's season in five-set fashion at the NCAA South Region Semifinal in West Palm Beach, Fla. Tovo led the Mocs offense with 22 kills. UT out-hit Florida Southern .280 to .220 despite the loss.

Tickets: General Admission ticket prices for all Florida Southern regular season athletic events are $5 for adults and $3 for Seniors, Military and visiting students. Youth (ages 12 and under) are admitted free of charge.

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