No. 3 Spartans Surge as Tars Tumble

Tampa, Fla. – No. 3 Tampa Dominates Rollins To Get Back In The Win Column

Final Score: Tampa 3 (1: 25-16, 2: 25-10, 3: 25-13), Rollins 0

Records: No. 3 Tampa (25-1, 16-1 SSC), Rollins (14-13, 6-10 SSC)

Location: Bob Martinez Sports Center | Tampa, Fla.

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

First Set: The Tampa Spartans and Rollins Tars began the first set of the evening with close back-and-forth action, the set saw 4 different leaders, and the two teams tied 8 different times by the time the set was tied 12-12. However, in the middle of the set, the Spartans began to pull away from the visitors; Zoey Seput assisted Mackenzie Dufresne on consecutive kills to cap off a 6-2 run in favor of the Spartans which was met with the first timeout of the evening, courtesy of the Tars. Although scoring the first point following the break, Rollins conceded 6 of the next 7 and was forced to call their second timeout of the set as they fell down 22-14. The first set was closed out following a strong kill from Kalli Cors, marking the 13th Tampa kill of the set.  | Score: 25-16 Tampa

Second Set: The Spartans came out into the second set hot, jumping out to a 7-0 lead that was aided by 2 aces from Cors. This start prompted Rollins Coach, Mika Robinson, to call a timeout for the Tars. In the middle of the set, Tampa went on a dominating 10-2 run, giving them a commanding lead at 22-9 as Rollins called their second timeout of the set, hoping to spark a comeback. The set was soon closed out, in dominating fashion as the Spartans never lost their early lead, after back-to-back errors from the Tars. The Spartans recorded 10 kills in the second set to go along with a hitting percentage of .348 as a team.     | Score: 25-10 Tampa

Third Set: The Spartans didn't look back after they recaptured an early lead in the third set, initially behind the Tars 2-1. However, the Tars were able to maintain a close presence to the Spartan lead but never able to regain control of the set. As the Spartans began to separate from the Tars, a 3-0 run that was capped off with a kill from Rachel Gregg, signaled the first timeout of the set for the visitors. Dufresne recorded 2 kills in a row late in the set but it wasn't until another kill only 3 plays later, this time from Tampa's Mak Carter, before Rollins called their second timeout of the set, down 22-12. Similar to the first set, Cors again ended the set, and match, with a kill, assisted by Emily Noe.  | Score: 25-13 Tampa

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Seput (15) and Noe (14) combined for 29 assists

• Nathaly Perez and Dufresne each recorded 5 blocks

• Tampa held Rollins to a hitting percentage of .000