Tritons Spoil Tampa’s Perfect Record in Heartbreaker

Saint Petersburg, Fla. - Issued their first loss of the season, the No. 1 ranked University of Tampa volleyball team was defeated by Eckerd college in a five set thriller. The Spartans fall to 24-1 on the season with an 11-1 Sunshine State Conference mark while the Tritons improve to 20-3 in their 2011 campaign and a 9-2 conference tally.

The win marks the first time in history that Eckerd has defeated Tampa in a volleyball match. Outside hitters Jessica Yingling and Holly Reschke each grounded 14 kills with Triton freshman Ali McAlvany swatted 17 for Eckerd College.

Senior Eva Dupay picked up four block solos and 12 digs for the Spartans as Libero Julie Howlett dug out 14 Triton swats. Setter Kahley Patrick assisted 40 attacks for the UT squad with Danielle Selkridge blocking four and killing 13 to round out the Tampa tally.

Eckerd pulled out a first set win by a 25-23 margin. Triton middle hitter Alex Laton swung a 7-for-8 on the match in the win. Reschke picked up four kills in the first set as setter Patrick hit two kills in as many chances.

The Spartans took the second frame in similar 25-23 fashion. Reschke and Patrick both repeated her first set performance with another four and two kills respectively. Laton lost her first set stride in the second stanza as she committed four attack errors.

The third set went to the Tritons despite Selkridge swinging a perfect 6-for-6. McAlvany killed seven in 10 swings while Lindsay Biggs smacked five. Eckerd won the match by a 25-21 tally.

Tampa rallied in the fourth, Dupay swung a pristine 3-for-3 and Yingling an errorless 3-for-6. Dupay solo blocked two on the frame as UT would push the match to a fifth set.

A back-and-forth fifth stanza saw a final score of 15-13 as the Eckerd College Tritons dealt the top ranked team its first loss of the season, a single game short of tying the program's record for best start.

Tampa will look to rebound as they face Saint Leo University in a road matinee slotted to begin at 4 p.m. Live stats will be made available through www.tampaspartans.com.

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