Dixon Joins Exclusive Club as Top-Ranked Spartans Take Two
SEASIDE, Calif. - Katelen Dixon became the fifth player in University of Tampa volleyball history to record 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs as the Spartans cruised to a pair of 3-0 victories to conclude the Otter Classic, which was hosted by Cal State-Monterey Bay. Tampa improves to 7-1 on the season after winning all four matches at the classic.
Number-one Tampa dismantled 20th-ranked Seattle Pacific in the first match, winning by scores of 30-18, 30-22, 30-26. The Spartans closed out the classic by defeating the host school, CSU-Monterey Bay 30-10, 30-17, 30-16.
In match one, Seattle Pacific proved to be no match for the nation's top-ranked team as Alisha Green led the way with 12 kills. Erin Clark added 10 while posting a superb .643 hitting percentage. Dixon missed her second straight double-double by one kill as she tallied 10 digs.
The Spartans outhit Seattle Pacific .330 to .134 as Margeaux Sinibaldi anchored the UT defense with a team-high 12 digs. Tampa also recorded five blocks, two of which were credited to Clark.
Dixon made history in the second match, becoming the first Spartan since Ania Ruiz in 2003 to notch both 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs. Entering the match with 994 career digs, Dixon recorded nine on the night to surpass 1,000. She currently stands at 1,196 career kills and 1,003 digs as she also passed Tiffany Boatwright to move into eighth place on UT's all-time kills list. She becomes the fifth Spartan, joining Ruiz (2000-03), Renee Ott (1989-92), Kam Gillespie (1997-2000) and Hilary Epling (1995-98) on the impressive 1,000 kill/1,000 dig club at UT.
Green, Dixon and Neely Thomson led a balance Spartan attack with eight kills apiece in the victory over the Otters. A total of 10 Spartans recorded multiple kills as freshman Ana Kalisnik (6) and Kaleigh Cunningham (5) both turned in impressive performances. Sinibaldi led a UT defense with 13 digs as Tampa held CSUMB to a .024 hitting percentage. The Spartans hit on a .500 clip for the match.
UT will next play on Saturday in a pair of matches at the South Region Crossover in Pensacola. The Spartans will meet Albany State at 11 a.m. and then host West Florida at 7 p.m.
Team Stats
Seattle Pacific
Game Statistics | Tampa | Seattle Pacific |
---|---|---|
Hitting % | .330 | .134 |
Blocks | 5.0 | 3.0 |
Digs | 44 | 28 |
Aces | 6 | 3 |
Game Statistics | Tampa | Cal State Monterey Bay |
---|---|---|
Hitting % | .500 | .024 |
Blocks | 4.0 | 0.0 |
Digs | 45 | 26 |
Aces | 13 | 4 |