Spartans to Test SSC Perfection in Home Contests

TAMPA, Fla. - Looking to continue its Sunshine State Conference win streak, the No. 2 University of Tampa volleyball team will welcome Eckerd College and Saint Leo University as its weekend foes.

The match against Eckerd will be played Friday night at 7 p.m. while the SLU contest will take place Saturday, also at 7 p.m. Both contests will be fought on the court of the Bob Martinez Athletic Center on the UT Campus.

The Spartans own a 23-1 overall record with a flawless 10-0 record against SSC opponents and have won 29 straight conference matchups dating back to Oct. 29th 2011. The Tampa squad has the reigning SSC Players of the Week on its roster, as middle blockers Meagan Burke and Jessica Wagner swept the weekly accolade. The duo mustered strong performances against Flagler College, Florida Tech and Barry University to earn the award as UT swept all three of their previous week's opponents in straight sets.

Sophomore Berkley Whaley leads the Spartan offense with 265 kills at an even .300 hitting percentage. The outside hitter ranks first in the conference in service aces per set with 0.49 and second in kills per set (3.44) and points per set (4.35) among SSC athletes. Sophomore Wagner ranks first in blocks per set with 1.30 totaling 103 blocks this season.

Eckerd College enters the weekend with a 16-8 overall record with a 7-4 conference tally. In Tampa's first matchup this season against the Tritons, the Spartans emerged with a 3-1 victory. UT owns the all-time record against Eckerd, winning 67-1, though the Tritons were the last opponent to defeat the Spartans since 2011.

The Lions of Saint Leo University forced the Tampa squad to five sets in their previous matchup this season. UT snuck out a win as the SLU team looked to upset the nationally ranked Spartans. Saint Leo currently owns a 19-7 season tally with a 6-3 record in SSC matchups, sitting second in the conference behind the perfect Tampa squad. The Spartans tower over the Lions in the all-time series with 65-1 record.

UT owns a .985 win percentage over the two teams, losing a meager two matches in 134 contests. Live stats as well as a live video webcast will be made available through www.tampaspartans.tv.

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