Spartans Takedown Badgers; Advance to South Region Semifinals

INSIDE THE MATCHUP: 

Final Score: Tampa 3 (1: 25-15, 3: 25-17, 4: 25-23) , Spring Hill 1 (2: 25-23)

Records: No.6 Tampa (28-3) , Spring Hill (29-8)

Location: Bob Martinez Athletics Center | Tampa, Fla.

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

First Set: Three-straight kills by Nathaly Perez, Tess Schrenger, and Tatyana Lyons broke the early tie and put the Spartans up three (4-1). The Spartans started to pull away when Kalli Cors spiked it down, followed by a unforced error by the Badgers which put the Spartans up eight (16-8). Spring Hill's head coach, Peggy Martin sensed the discontinuity in her team's current perfomance and elected to call a timeout. Kors continued pouncing on Spring Hill's defense, converting a kill to put the Spartans at set point, where they would close out the first set the following play after yet, another Badgers error.  Score: 25-15 (Tampa)

Second Set: Kors put the first two points up on the board (Kill, Service Ace) for the Spartans. However, after a few points, Spring Hill leveled the socre at six. This would ignite the Spartans, who bursted on a 4-0 run before Spring Hill called a timeout. Right out of the timeout, the Spartans put up two consecutive points contributed by Mckenzie Dufresne who converted a kill and a block assist (12-6). The Badgers would not give up and reduced the lead to two (16-14) after a failed kill attempt by Perez. Spring Hill would then tie the game at 18 via kill by Jessica Fairly. The Spartans let their lead slip one too many times and the Badgers took advantage of the opportunity, closing out the second set with back-to-back kills. Score: 25-23 (Spring Hill)

Third Set: The set started really close until, the Spartans executed five consecutive points, four consecutive Badgers unforced errors, which put the Spartans up five. This lead gave the Spartans the momentum to continue to perservere after dropping the second set. The Spartans lead would remain and one point, the lead got up to an eight-point margin after the Spartans defense closed out the Badgers on a block (21-13). Dufresne would contribute the Spartans last three points before closing the set with two kills and an assisted block. Score: 25-17 (Tampa)

Fourth Set: The Badgers put up the first point of the set trying to set the point and get back into the game. The Spartans would immediately regain the lead until, the Badgers caught up and tied at six. Then, the Spartans continued to try to break away again, but the Badgers held on once more, tying at 13. A 7-2 run with two consecutive Spring Hill timeouts, would result in a five point Spartan lead (20-15). The Badgers however, cut the lead to two (23-21) after Kors failed to convert a kill. Then, an unforced error on the Badgers, gave the Spartans set point up three (24-21). The Badgers converted back-to-back kills to put the defecit to one (24-23). However, the Badgers, yet again, gave up an errror, handing the Spartans the set. Final: 25-23 (Tampa), 

INSIDE THE STATS: 

• Kors: 16 kills, six digs
• Schrenger: 15 kills. five digs
• Claudia Rivera: 23 digs
• Spartans: 11 blocks

UP NEXT: The Spartans will face the University of West Florida Saturday, Nov. 19 @7:30pm in Tampa, Fla.