Beach Volleyball Honored in Senior Salute
TAMPA, Fla. - University of Tampa Athletics would like to celebrate the careers and accomplishments of the beach volleyball team this week. Due to their season getting cut short, we will honor each student athlete who will not get a normal senior salute at the end of the season.
The Tampa beach volleyball program will be graduating one senior and five graduate students: Kenzie Erickson, Kiersten Anderson, Bri Civiero, Natalie Gilbert, Erica Haslag, and Kiana Sawtelle. This group has helped start the beach volleyball program at the University of Tampa and they capped off the 2019 season with the AVCA Small College National Championship.
Erickson has been a part of the program all three years and was part of the National Championship team. During her sophomore season she was awarded the D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award for her successes in the classroom. The Wildwood, Mo. native will be graduating with a degree in Criminology.
Anderson appeared in one match for the Spartans as she helped guide her team to a victory over San Diego City College. Prior to her time at Tampa as a Graduate student, she attended Columbia College where she appeared in all possible mathes as a junior and senior, and she was twice recognized as an All-American. The Springfield, Ill. native will be graduating with a degree in Biology.
Civiero played in the two position the entire season as she was able to put up an overall record of 6-7, competing against some of the top teams in the nation. She would end the 2020 season on a two game winning streak and would win the final game of the season in straight sets. Prior to her graduate time at Tampa, the Mount Dora, Fla. native attended fellow SSC school Rollins College where she played on the indoor volleyball team. She will be graduating with an MS in Entrepreneurship.
Gilbert played in four games during the year as she totaled a 3-1 record. She would conclude the season with a victory over Tusculum in straight sets. Last year she was awarded the D2 ADA Academic Achievement award and was part of the National Championship team. Previous to her time at Tampa as a graduate student, the Coppell, Texas native attended the University of Texas where she played indoor volleyball. She will be graduating with her MBA.
Haslag put up an outstanding season as she had a record of 11-3 in 14 matches in the four position. She would record seven victories on the year where the opponent would not score 10 points in their sets. She also had a great season last year as she had a record of 17-9 and ended the season on a seven-game win streak. The Jefferson City, Mo. native was part of the National Championship team and will be graduating with an MBA.
Sawtelle appeared in one match this year as she played in the five position against UNC Wilmington. Last season she appeared in two matches as she picked up a victory against Jacksonville. She was a member of the National Championship team and eanred the D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award. She will be graduating with a Master's degree in Exercise and Nutritional science. The Tampa, Fla. native attended Southeastern University before returning to her hometown for Graduate School.
The University of Tampa Athletic Department would like to extend congratulations to the beach volleyball Class of 2020 for their impressive careers, academically and athletically. As these women go on to the next chapter of their lives, we wish them all the best, and we thank them for their dedication to the program, the school, and the sport.
Please join the Tampa Spartans as we honor the seniors of each of our spring sports teams. As a result of the cancelation of all spring games and competition, typical senior-honoring events have also been canceled. We will select a different team each week for which we will honor those graduating this year.
Follow us @TampaSpartans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to keep up with our senior salutes.