November 1, 2014
Saint Leo Falls to No. 1 Spartans in Straight Sets
Box score
SAINT LEO, Fla. - Wrapping up another weekend
of Sunshine State Conference action, the No. 1 University of Tampa
Spartans volleyball team (23-1, 11-0 SSC) defeated the Saint Leo
Lions (18-9, 7-5 SSC) in straight sets, Saturday afternoon from the
Marion Bowman Center on the campus of Saint Leo.
The 3-0 sweep (28-26, 25-21, 25-15) signals Tampa's
47th-consecutive Sunshine State Conference victory, a school and
conference record that dates back to 2011.
Both teams took the court thirsty for victory, and the first
set was a battle on each side of the court. Playing nearly point
for point, the Spartans finally broke away late in the set to drive
home a 28-26 victory. With the score in their favor, the pace was
set, as No. 1 Tampa cruised through the next two sets to a 3-0
win.
Much like Friday night's performance, junior All-American
Berkley Whaley led all players in kills for the match, recording 15
and earning a .414 attack average. Junior Marissa Lisenbee, who
maintained a .357 attack average on the afternoon, followed her
lead with 13 kills. Junior middle blocker Jessica Wagner tacked on
ten of her own.
Senior Meghan Burke, who led the No. 1 Spartans in attacking
with a .455 average, scorched six kills in the victory, an effort
that was matched by junior Megan Heffron.
As per usual, senior setter Kahley Patrick was the guiding
force behind the Spartans' offense in the match, registering 46
assists in just three sets. She currently leads the Sunshine State
Conference in assists per set, and ranks fifth in the
nation.
Patrick also took on defensive responsibilities in the match,
leading all players with 16 digs, and it was senior Meghan Burke
who led the Spartans at the net, registering three blocks on the
evening.
The Spartans will compete again on Wednesday, Nov. 5 when they
host the Eckerd College Tritons for a midweek Sunshine State
Conference contest. The match is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. from the
Martinez Center on the campus of the University of Tampa.
Live stats will be made available through
www.tampaspartans.com.
Fans may follow University of Tampa athletics on Twitter
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www.tampaspartans.com.