November 14, 2014
No. 1 Tampa Captures 10th Straight SSC Title with Win over Barry
Box score
TAMPA, Fla. - The No. 1 University of Tampa
volleyball team (27-1, 15-0 SSC) swept the visiting Barry
University Buccaneers (17-12, 7-9 SSC) in straight sets (25-20,
25-9, 25-19), Friday night from the Martinez Center in Tampa. The
victory marked the Spartans' tenth-straight Sunshine State
Conference title, as Tampa improved to a perfect 15-0 in conference
play.
The win also marks Tampa's 51st-consecutive Sunshine State
Conference victory, a school and conference record that dates back
to 2011.
The No. 1 Spartans took the first point in the match and never
looked back. Despite Barry's efforts in the first set, Tampa
battled for a 25-20 win, returning in the second set with a strong
momentum that propelled the Spartans to a quick 25-9 triumph. With
the 2-0 score in their favor, the Spartans came out of the gate
ready in set three, cruising to a 25-19 victory and a three-set
sweep.
Junior All-American Berkley Whaley led the way for the
Spartans offensively in the victory, tallying 12 kills at a .522
clip, just points shy of her career high. Junior outside hitter
Marissa Lisenbee, who ended the night with a .368 attack average,
also earned double-digit kills in the effort with ten.
Adding to the offensive surge were senior middle blocker
Meagan Burke and sophomore outside hitter Allee Stelogeannis. Burke
earned the second-highest attack average on the night with .462
percentage and earned eight kills, while Stelogeannis tacked on
seven of her own.
The guiding force behind the Spartans' offense was again
senior setter Kahley Patrick. With 31 assists on the day, Patrick
ranks fifth in the nation for assists per set. She also leads the
Sunshine State Conference in assists.
Senior Jessica Wagner, who notched four blocks in the win,
commanded Tampa defensively from the net. From the back row, it was
Whaley led the Spartans, earning 12 digs for her seventh
double-double of the season. Patrick also recorded double-digit
digs in the win, with ten.
No. 1 Tampa will wrap up the 2014 regular season on Saturday,
Nov. 15 when they host the visiting Nova Southeastern Sharks on the
Spartans' senior day. The match is slated for 6:00 p.m. from the
Martinez Center on the campus of the University of Tampa, with
senior festivities beginning just before the first whistle. A
victory against the Sharks would result in a flawless conference
record for the Spartans during the 2014 season.
Live stats will be made available through
www.tampaspartans.com.
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www.tampaspartans.com.