#1 Spartans Outhit Saints to Earn Victory
TAMPA, Fla. - The top-ranked University of Tampa volleyball team failed to let a poor game three deter them as they defeated visiting Flagler 3-1.The victory improves UT to 14-1 on the season as the Saints fall to 12-8.
UT came out strong, registering a 30-11 victory in game one. After a 30-15 win in the second game, it appeared that Tampa would make quick work of the Saints. A total of nine hitting errors and five service errors for UT in the third game helped Flagler record a 31-29 victory in the game.
The Spartans responded with a fourth game where they held Flagler to a .000 hitting percentage, compared to a .267 Tampa clip. UT concluded the match with a 30-20 win in the fourth game.
Alisha Green led Tampa with 18 kills as she also had seven blocks. Neely Thomson enjoyed a 14 kill performance as freshman Melissa Vanderhall registered 11 kills. UT finished with nine total blocks as Meghan Sherman also added three.
Gabriela Saade and Sherman split setting duties, with Saade recording 35 assists and Sherman 28. Defending Sunshine State Conference Defensive player of the Week Margeaux Sinibaldi led a Tampa defense that held Flagler to a .043 hitting percentage with 31 digs. It marked the sixth time in her career, first of this season, that she has notched 30-plus digs.
Tampa travels to Eckerd on Friday to resume SSC play at 7 p.m.