Spartans Split Pair Of Matches At Tampa Classic

TAMPA, Fla. - After defeating Northern Kentucky (0-4) by a 3-0 score, The University of Tampa (2-1) suffered a 3-1 setback against three-time defending national champion and No. 1 Concordia University of St. Paul (3-1).

Tampa breezed to a three-set sweep of Northern Kentucky in the afternoon match, winning by scores of 25-18, 25-22, 25-16.

Melissa Vanderhall led Tampa with a team-high 11 kills as Eva Dupay registered eight. Kaleigh Cunningham and Jessica Yingling rounded out head coach Chris Catanach's balanced attack with seven kills apiece as Sam Macks chipped in six.

Vanderhall, who hit 11-for-16 on the day, finished with a .688 attack percentage as Macks carried a .857 mark.

Meghan Sherman recorded 34 assists as freshman Kaylee Koetter made her Spartan debut, finishing with three assists in the third set. Julie Howlett added 11 digs as Camille Hanks and Dupay had three and two blocks respectively. Tampa outhit the Norse by a .447 to .262 clip.

Against Concordia, the Spartans took the first set handedly by a score of 25-13. CU responded with 27-25, 25-23 and 25-21 wins in the following sets to claim the victory.

Vanderhall led the Spartans with 14 kills as Cunningham and Yingling posted 12 and 10 apiece. Sherman had 48 assists as Howlett led the team with 19 digs. Vanderhall added 11 digs and five blocks, including two solos.

The Spartans conclude play at the Tampa Classic on Sunday as it meets Grand Valley State University at 1 p.m. The Lakers began the season with a 3-0 sweep of Concordia, ending the Golden Bears 75 match winning streak.

UT will offer live stats and a video webcast for both matches through www.tampaspartans.com.

Fans may also follow University of Tampa athletics on Twitter (www.twitter.com/utspartans) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/tampaspartans). UT also offers eScores, a free text messaging service that sends text alerts following all Spartan events. To sign up, please register at www.tampaspartans.com.

Northern Kentucky Box Score

Concordia Box Score