November 22, 2014
No. 1 Spartans Defeat No. 19 PBA, Punch Ticket to NCAA National Tournament
Box score
TAMPA, Fla. - The No. 1 ranked University of
Tampa Spartans volleyball team (31-1) defeated the No. 19 Palm
Beach Atlantic Sailfish (30-4) by a 3-1 score (25-23, 25-14, 26-28,
25-12), awarding the Spartans a trip to the NCAA Division II
National Championship.
The victory marks Tampa's sixth-straight trip to the national
tournament, and propels the Spartans to a 7-0 all-time record
against the Sailfish.
The No. 1 Spartans took first point in the match, going on a
4-0 run before the Sailfish could put themselves on the board. From
then on, the set was nearly a point-for-point battle, and the
Sailfish were able to rally and take the lead at 23-22. Refusing
defeat, Tampa's offense gathered itself and went on a 3-0 run to
take the set, 25-23. Junior Marissa Lisenbee led the offense with
six kills in the first set, attacking for a .600 average. Junior
Megan Heffron also added four kills to the effort, while senior
Meagan Burke picked up three at a .750 clip.
Tampa took the first point of the night's second set, but
again the game turned into a point-for-point fight. At 7-7, the
Spartans were able to pull away from the visiting Sailfish, going
on a four-point run and gaining momentum that would outlast Palm
Beach Atlantic throughout the set. Led by Jessica Wagner and
Berkley Whaley, a hard-fought Tampa offense propelled the
top-ranked Spartans to a 25-14 second set victory.
Backed by a 2-0 lead, the Spartans came out of the gate in
the third set thirsting for victory, but Palm Beach Atlantic would
not back down. After the first point landed in Tampa's favor, the
set was a back and forth affair, until the visiting Sailfish took a
27-26 lead late in the game. Led by freshman Sarah Ragland, PBA
gained momentum and took the third set by a 28-26 score.
The fourth set of the evening was a battle on both sides of
the court, but the top-ranked Spartans gained control and finished
off the Sailfish with a 25-12 fourth set victory.
Junior Lisenbee led the offensive attack for the Spartans in
the victory, registering 19 kills at a .444 clip and breaking her
previous career-high in kills. Junior All-American Whaley followed
her lead with 12 kills on the night. Senior Burke also ended the
contest with a .529 attack average and ten kills, while Wagner
chipped in with nine kills at a .562 average.
Averaging over 13 assists per set, senior setter Kahley
Patrick guided the Spartans' offense to victory. The captain earned
a total of 54 assists on the night, coming up just short of her
career-high.
Defensively, freshman libero Molly McAlvany led the Spartans
with a career-high 29 digs, shattering her previous career mark of
21. Whaley followed up her performance with 14 digs of her own,
while Patrick rounded out the night with ten.
From the net, Burke led Tampa with five blocks, and Lisenbee
tacked on four.
As a team, the Spartans earned a .336 attack average on the
night, holding the Sailfish to a .130 average thanks to nine Tampa
blocks and 78 total digs.
After the contest, the Spartans were presented with the NCAA
South Region Championship trophy, and Burke, Lisenbee, Whaley, and
Patrick were all named to the NCAA South Region Tournament
team.
Tampa will is set to compete against Wheeling Jesuit in the
first matchup of the NCAA National Tournament on Thursday, Dec. 4
at 5:00 p.m. in Louisville, Ky. All contests will be hosted by
Bellarmine University.
Live stats will be made available through
www.tampaspartans.com.
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