Spartans Charm Their Way to Regional Final

TAMPA, Fla. - A near perfect No. 2 University of Tampa volleyball team advance to the NCAA Division II Regional Final matchup after sweeping Florida Southern College 3-0 (25-11, 27-25, 25-17).

The win pushes the Spartans to a 31-1 record while the Mocs end their season 18-13. The win puts Tampa against Eckerd College in the Regional Final, the Tritons represent the squads sole loss on the season.

Middle hitter Danielle Selkridge led the team with 12 kills and five blocks on the win. Outside hitting tandem Holly Reschke and Eva Dupay swatted eight and seven kills respectively, with Dupay walling out four FSC attacks.

Senior Camille Hanks posted four blocks while libero Julie Howlett led Tampa with 15 digs, limiting the Mocs to a .138 attack percentage. FSC right side hitter Gabby Fernandez led the snakes with 13 kills at a .423 clip with libero Anna Niebuhr led the team with 16 digs.

Tampa charmed FSC in the first set, as the dominant team committing a single error in 35 swings. Leading the charge was Selkridge, swatting four in the quick 25-11 win.

FSC dropped a match point as UT came back from a 24-21 deficit to win by a 27-25 final score. Mocs' Fernandez swung an errorless 5-for-10 while sure-fire Selkridge ended the stanza with six kills.

The Spartans did not relent in the third frame as the squad ended Florida Southern's season with a 25-17 final score. The team amassed four blocks on the set to limit FSC to a .061 hitting percentage. Mocs Fernandez grounded a familiar five kills to round out the final set.

Tampa will meet season foe Eckerd in a decisive Regional Final match as the two teams split the regular season contests, however Tampa holds the home-field advantage. The final will be played Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Bob Martinez Athletic Center. Live stats and a live video webcast will be provided through www.tampaspartans.tv.

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