Spartans Sweep Lions, Advancing in the NCAA Tournament

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The No. 11 University of Tampa Spartans sweep the Saint Leo University Lions in the first round of the NCAA South Regional. Tampa defeated Saint Leo by set scores of 25-16, 25-23, and 25-21.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: No. 11 University of Tampa 3, Saint Leo University 0 (25-16, 25-23, and 25-21)
Records: Tampa Spartans (28-4, 17-3 SSC) vs. Saint Leo Lions (17-15, 12-8 SSC)
Location: Rubin Arena | West Palm Beach, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Tampa Spartans sweep the Saint Leo Lions in the first round of the NCAA South Regional. The Lions end their season with an overall record of 17-15. The Spartans will advance to the second round of the tournament, tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. In the matchup, the offensive powerhouse of Katie McKiel and Sorrel Houghton dominated the game for UT. McKiel ended the match with a team-high of 15 kills and an average kill percentage of .182 while Houghton stated 14 kills, hitting .355. Sammy Mueller quarterbacked the Spartans to victory with 34 total assists. Additionally, Mueller had 10 digs for Tampa. Junior libero, Nicole Dominguez, led UT on defense. She logged a team high of 19 digs, followed by freshman DS, Claudia Rivera, with 13. Rivera also led the Spartans with two service aces. 

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Sammy Mueller logged her 16^thdouble-double of the season with 34 assists and 10 digs.  

• Junior middle blocker Taylor Fosler had a team-high kill percentage of .455, with six kills on 11 attempts. 

• Claudia Rivera's two service aces came in the third set, giving Tampa the lead, and the momentum to win the set.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
The Spartans lead the all-time series over the Lions 86-5. This was the third meeting between the two teams this season. Tampa won all three of the matchups. 

UP NEXT:
The Spartans will take the court again tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. as they advance in the NCAA tournament. They will take on the winner of the match between Barry University and West Alabama. Live stats and a live video webcast will be provided through www.tampaspartans.com.

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