No. 14 Sailfish Stun No. 5 Spartans 3-0

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – In its first trip to Rubin Arena, the No. 5 University of Tampa volleyball team fell 3-0 to host and No. 14 Palm Beach Atlantic to earn the program's first-ever victory over the Spartans.

The loss moves the UT record to 21-5 on the season while the Sailfish improve to 23-3 on the year.

Tampa's offense was led by senior duo Jessica Wagner and Berkley Whaley as the tandem totaled 25 kills. Wagner picked up six blocks while Whaley spun a double-double effort with 11 digs and 12 kills.

PBA turned to senior All-American Faith Rohn, as the outside hitter led the Sailfish with 13 kills while adding 16 digs from the back row. Middle blocker Emma Ballantyne proved to be the offensive spark that the Sailfish needed to earn its first win over the Spartans.

The two teams traded points as the opening set saw five tie scores but PBA would not relinquish the lead. Wagner blasted eight kills while stopping three Sailfish swings at the net in the opening set alone. Palm Beach Atlantic used a rounded attack in the first stanza to edge the Spartans by a 26-24 score.

The second set continued the back-and-forth battle as Palm Beach Atlantic took the lead at 21-10 and would not look back. The Sailfish put an imposing 2-0 lead on the match after taking the second frame 25-23. Whaley terminated five kills for Tampa but PBA middle blocker Emma Ballantyne unleashed her own 5-kill attack at a torrid .714 clip to lead the Sailfish.

The Sailfish pulled away in the third frame as the Spartans failed to pull together an attack as PBA took the match by a 25-14 final set.

The Spartans will finish out their road series with a 4 p.m. matinee in Miami Shores, Fla., meeting the Barry University Buccaneers on Saturday. Live stat links will be made available through www.tampaspartans.com.

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