Spartans Get Back on Track with Back-to-Back Wins.
ST PETERSBURG, Fla. – Spartans get back on track with back-to-back wins.
Final Scores:
Tampa 4, Saint Leo 1
Tampa 5, Missouri State 0
Record: Tampa 3-8
Location: North Shore Park || St Petersburg, Fla.
Follow Us: @TampaSpartans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
HOW IT HAPPENED:
v.s. Saint Leo: Tampa made the short drive across the bay to square off against Saint Leo in their first match of the day. Cassidy Ehrie and Angel Williams reunited in the 2s while Madison Brunick and Keely Hamilton continued as the Spartans' 4s pairing. Saint Leo came out flying in the 2s and took an early 6-1 lead, which proved too much for Ehrie and Williams to recover from. In the second set, however, it was the Spartans that jumped out to an early lead that proved too much for the Lions to recover from and the match went to a deciding third set. Saint Leo held three straight match points at 14-11, but Tampa rallied to tie the match at 14 all. In the end, the Lions held five match points but failed to capitalize on any of them and Tampa stormed back to take the match. (1-0 Tampa) After taking the first set, the Tampa 4s also faced three straight set points after going down 20-17. But just like the 2s, Brunick and Hamilton rallied back to win the second set and the match. (2-0 Tampa). Following the first wave of matches the 1s, 3s, and 5s kicked off. Payton Brunick and Julia Oswald remained in the 1s after their victory over FSU last week and followed it up this week with a convincing two-set win, allowing a combined 24 points over two sets. (3-0 Tampa) After jumping out to an early lead Hailey Wolfe and Nevaeh Wolfe lost an extended first set followed by a loss in the second. (3-1 Tampa) Kalli Cors and Alivia Horn dropped the first set but responded convincingly in the second allowing just 11 points and forcing a third set in the 5s. Cors and Horn ended the Spartan's morning matchup with a win, taking the third set 16-14. (4-1 Tampa)
v.s. Missouri State: In the afternoon duel the Spartans took on Missouri State. Tampa fielded the same lineup as the morning matchups and looked convincing in each of them. The Spartans 3s won their matchup in three sets, but other than that Tampa took each matchup in two sets, allowing only 15 points per set on average.
UP NEXT: The Spartans return to the North Shore Courts tomorrow to take on Eckerd and PBA at 12:00 pm and 6:00 pm.