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October 11, 2014

No. 1 Tampa Defeats Barry in 3-0 Sweep

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MIAMI SHORES, Fla. - The No. 1 University of Tampa volleyball team (15-1, 8-0 SSC) defeated the Barry University Buccaneers (10-8, 3-5 SSC) by a 3-0 score (25-17, 25-15, 25-8), Saturday afternoon.

The victory improved the Spartans' record to 15-1 on the season and marked Tampa's 44th-consecutive Sunshine State Conference victory, a school and conference record that dates back to 2011.

In addition, the win wrapped up the first half of Sunshine State Conference play for the season, an eight-game span in which top-ranked Tampa went undefeated.

At the sound of the first whistle, the Spartans took control of the match, forcing a 25-17 first set victory. The momentum propelled Tampa to a 25-15 second set win, and a quick 25-8 triumph in the third set to take the game. The conference win wraps up the first half of Sunshine State Conference play for the Spartans this season.

Junior right side hitter Marissa Lisenbee led all players with 12 kills in the match on Saturday, as she hit for a .521 clip. Following her lead, junior middle blocker Jessica Wagner swatted 11 kills and earned a .500 attack average.

Among top performers in the match were seniors Meagan Burke and Kahley Patrick. With five kills, Burke led the Spartans in attacking with an .833 average from her middle blocker position, while Patrick registered 35 assists as the team's setter. The duo also combined for six digs.

Offensively, five Spartans earned attack averages at or above .500, propelling No. 1 Tampa to a .471 attack percentage on the day and marking their highest average of the season.

Tampa also dominated the contest defensively, recording 39 digs to Barry's 26 and out-blocking the Bucs six to two.

Junior All-American Berkley Whaley led all players on the afternoon with 13 digs, and Burke remained strong at the net with four blocks to round off her day.
Collectively, No. 1 Tampa held Barry to an attack average of just .087 and forced 16 Bucs' errors in the matchup.

The Spartans will compete again on Friday, October 17 when they participate in the South Region Crossover Tournament hosted by Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Fla. The four-game slate will feature contests against regional opponents such as Lee, Valdosta State, top-ranked West Florida, and North Alabama. The first match up the Spartans' weekend is set for 12:30 p.m. against Lee University on the campus of Florida Southern.

Live stats will be made available through www.tampaspartans.com.

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