Spartans Shielded Off The Fighting Knights, Becoming NCAA South Regional Champions

TAMPA, Fla. – No. 1 Seed Tampa Wins The NCAA South Regional Finals After Defeating the No. 2 Seed Lynn.

Final Score: Tampa 3 (1: 25-19, 2: 25-21, 3: 25-22), Lynn 0

Records: No. 1 Tampa (31-1, 19-1 SSC), No. 2 Lynn (26-8, 15-5 SSC)

Location: Bob Martinez Sports Center | Tampa, Fla.

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

First Set: The Spartans opened up the match with an early four point run that included an ace and a kill from Kalli Cors to capture the lead. Lynn tried to close in on Tampa, but struggled to find a response as Tampa had three straight kills from three different Spartans to extend the lead to 8-2. The Spartans continued to show their dominance on the court with two kills from MacKenzie Dufresne and a block assist from Jenna Davis and Hayley Dillon to lead the set at 12-2. After kills from both Dillon and Cors, the Lynn head coach, Adam Milewski, called for the first timeout of the match. This would not slow down the Spartans as Nathaly Perez had a strong kill and block solo to put the Spartans at a 19-11 lead. The Fighting Knights tried to hang onto the set by stringing a few points together, including a kill by Aline Olegario, to only trail by eight points. After another Lynn timeout was called, the Fighting Knights could not create any momentum as both teams started to have some back and forth action. With a Perez kill, the Spartans were able to shield off the Fighting Knights and win the opening set. | Score: 25-19 Tampa

Second Set: Lynn came into the second set with determination and grit to stay in the match as they captured the lead straight away with a kill from Maria Cecilia and ace from Isabella Gentile. This did not intimidate the Spartans as a Perez kill knotted the set to 2-2. Tampa was able to gain control of the second set as they went on six point run that included an ace by Emily Noe to lead 10-6. Coach Milewski called for a Lynn timeout in hopes of getting the Fighting Knights back on track. After making a couple of errors, Lynn was able to create a four point run with a Cecilia kill to trail by 11-14. This prompted head coach, Chris Catanach, to call for Tampa's first timeout of the match. The set started to become a battle between both teams as Tampa tried to hold on to the lead while Lynn was trying to recapture it. After each side used their last timeouts for the set, the Spartans were able to capitalize on a block solo from Tess Schrenger and a Dufresne kill to close out the set. | Score: 25-21 Tampa

Third Set: The Fighting Knights came out in a similar fashion as the previous set as they captured a 5-2 lead with two kills from Samantha Wolf. The Spartans continued to fight as both Dufresne and Cors had two kills each to help close in on the Fighting Knights lead by one point. After kills from Wolf and Cecilia that extended Lynn's lead to 13-10, Coach Catanach utilized a Tampa timeout to spark some fire into the Spartans. With a kill by Jenna Vaske and a Dufresne-Vaske block assist to knot the score to 15-15, the Spartans were back in it. Unable to establish a strong lead against the Spartans, the Fighting Knights would use both of their timeouts to try to figure out how to clinch the set and stay in the match. But, nothing would help deter the Spartans and their determination; with two Perez kills and a Dufresne-Schrenger block assist, Tampa would win the set and become the NCAA South Regional Champions. | Score: 25-22 Tampa

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Catanach reaches a career-high in wins with 1,200 victories

• Perez recorded 13 kills in the match

• Ramirez (18), Schrenger (15), and Cors (14) tallied double-digit digs