#1 Tampa Sweeps Saint Leo
TAMPA, Fla. - The number-one ranked University of Tampa volleyball team won a Sunshine State Conference battle with Saint Leo University, topping the Lions by a score of 3-0 to improve to 16-1 on the season and 5-0 in the SSC. Saint Leo drops to 15-7 and 1-4 in conference play with the loss.
The Spartans used some late game rallies to pull away from the Lions, winning 30-22, 30-25, 30-23. The Lions came out of the gates strong, leading early in the first game before UT evened the score at 18-18. Tampa then went on a 12-4 run to close out the game.
In game two, the Spartans got out to a 10-5 lead and remained in control until Saint Leo tied the game at 18. With the score knotted at 20 apiece, UT outscored the Lions 8-1 to secure the second game victory.
Saint Leo came out fierce in the third game, holding a three point lead at 18-15 before Tampa rallied to tie the game at 19. Saint Leo remained resilient, winning two of the next three to lead 21-20. The Spartans then showed why they have been the nation's top ranked team for three consecutive weeks, winning the next seven points to lead 27-21. UT then closed out the match on a Neely Thomson kill.
Erin Clark enjoyed another stellar performance, leading the UT offensive attack with 14 kills. Clark hit .367 for the match and also had two blocks. Katelen Dixon recorded a double-double with 10 kills and a team-high 18 digs to fuel the defense. UT and SSC all-time digs leader Margeaux Sinibaldi also had 14 digs for Tampa.
Gabriela Saade led Tampa with 37 assists as she also chipped in nine digs. Six UT players registered a block as Meghan Sherman joined Clark for team honors with a pair. Dixon and Camila Saade accounted for four of the seven service aces with two apiece.
For the match, Tampa finished with a .231 attack percentage while Saint Leo hit .158. UT held the Lions under .200 in each game as Saint Leo's top performance was a .188 clip in game one. UT enjoyed its top hitting game in the first game with a .268 percentage. The Spartans concluded the match with 52 kills compared to just 36 by the Lions.
Tampa returns to action at home on Saturday in a battle of undefeated SSC teams as it faces Nova Southeastern. The match will begin at 8 p.m., at the Bob Martinez Sports Center.