Tampa Cruises to 3-0 Win Over Shorter in Weekend Crossover

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The No. 10 ranked University of Tampa volleyball won their first of three matches at the South Region Crossover tournament in Winter Haven Fla. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

Final Score: #10 Tampa 3 (1: 25-15, 2: 25-23, 3: 25-17), Shorter 0

Records: Tampa 17-2 (10-1 SSC), 14-7 (7-2 GSC)

Location: Advent Health Fieldhouse || Winter Haven, Fla.

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HOW IT HAPPENED:

First Set: Tampa jumped out to a 11-7 lead early in the first set and increased the margin to 19-7 following and 8-0 run. Setter Melissa Elias had nine assists in the first frame, three of which went to senior outside hitter Katie McKiel. The Spartans kept their foot on the gas and closed out the first set 25-15. Score: 1-0 Tampa

Second Set: The Spartans maintained a small lead over Shorter throughout the second set until a 6-0 run from the Hawks put them up 23-18, challenging Tampa for the second set. But, the Spartans stormed back with a 7-0 run of their own and won the second set by a score of 25-23.  Score: 2-0 Tampa

Third Set: The Third frame began similar to the second until three consecutive blocks from middle blocker Mackenzie Dufresne sparked the Spartans offense. Tampa would cruise to a 25-17 victory in the third set and end the match. Final: 3-0 Tampa 

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Elias recorder her fifth game this season with at least 20 assists and 10 kills
• Elias (20) and Emily Noe (16) combined for 36 assists.
• McKiel, Elias, and Houghton all tallied 10 kills

OUTSIDE THE STATS:

• Katie McKiel and Sorrel Houghton are closing in on career milestones – the duo are closing in on 1,500 career kills.
• McKiel has 1,483 career kills.
• Houghton has 1,470 career kills.

UP NEXT: The Spartans return to action at the South Region Crossover tomorrow Saturday, October 23. The squad takes on University of West Georgia at 12:15 PM and conclude the tournament with a matchup against University of Alabama-Huntsville at 7:00 PM.

SOUTH REGION CROSSOVER MULTIMEDIA: Fans may watch all South Region Crossover matches at Ballertv.com.

GAMEDAY MULTIMEDIA: Fans may watch all home games and Sunshine State Conference contests on TampaSpartans.tv. Live stats are also available through TampaStats.com.

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