November 5, 2014
No. 1 Spartans Upend Tritons 3-1 in SSC Action
Box score
TAMPA, Fla. - The No. 1 University of Tampa
volleyball team (24-1, 12-0 SSC) defeated the visiting Eckerd
College Tritons (12-15, 3-11 SSC) by a 3-1 score (25-18, 25-16,
25-27, 25-14), Wednesday night from the Martinez Center.
The triumph signals Tampa's 48th-consecutive Sunshine State
Conference victory, a school and conference record that dates back
to 2011.
Although the visiting Tritons came out of the gate thirsty for
victory, the Spartans soon gathered momentum and brought home a
25-18 first set win. With the lead on their side, Tampa stood firm
and rallied for a 25-16 second set win, but the Tritons would not
back down easily, taking a 27-25 third set victory before to bring
the score to 2-1. In the fourth set of the night, the Spartans took
control of the match, forcing a 25-14 set win for a 3-1 victory and
their 19th consecutive triumph of the year.
Junior All-American Berkley Whaley led the offensive charge
for the No. 1 Spartans in the win, earning 15 kills in the effort.
The outside hitter has recorded double-digit kills in 21 games this
season.
Junior Megan Heffron also earned double-digit kills in the
match, tallying 13, while senior Meghan Burke tacked on nine and
sophomore Allie Stelogeannis ended the night with eight. Burke also
led the Spartans attackers with a .643 attack average.
Senior setter Kahley Patrick guided the top-ranked Spartans to
a .296 attack average on the night, registering 44 assists and
averaging an even 11 assists per set. The senior currently leads
the Sunshine State Conference in assists per set, ranking fourth in
the nation.
Tampa's defense allowed the Tritons to earn just a .137 attack
percentage on the night, as the Spartans recorded five team blocks
and tallied 56 digs.
Individually, freshman libero Molly McAlvany led the defensive
effort from the back row with 16 digs on the evening. Patrick and
Stelogeannis also earned 10 and nine digs, respectively, while
senior Meghan Burke led her teammates with four blocks.
The No. 1 Spartans will return to action on Friday, Nov. 7
when travel to Melbourne, Fla. to take on Florida Tech in their
13th Sunshine State Conference contest of the 2014 season. The
match is slated for 7:00 p.m.
Live stats will be made available through
www.tampaspartans.com.
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