Spartans Extend Streak in Twinbill Sweep
September 4, 2015

Spartans Extend Streak in Twinbill Sweep

TAMPA, Fla. - Behind a dominating effort from senior Berkley Whaley, the No. 1 University of Tampa volleyball team swept its season-opener competing in the Courtyard by Marriott Classic on Friday.

The Spartans claimed a 3-0 matinee against Wayne State before defeating No. 24 Western Washington in straight-sets to start the season 2-0 and extend their active win-streak to 32 consecutive victories.

The Warriors of Wayne State concluded the day 0-2 while the Vikings follow with a 0-2 tally to open their respective seasons.

Outside hitter Whaley unleashed a 33-kill barrage between the contests, averaging an astounding 5.50 kills per set. The reigning AVCA National Player of the Year dazzled with a .391 attack percentage while also contributing 27 digs in her pair of matches.

Freshman libero Logan Holanchock set a new single-game digs mark of 32 in her collegiate debut, breaking a three-set record set by all-time digs leader Margeaux Sinibaldi in 2004. Holanchock posted a 17-dig follow up against Western Washington to finish the day with 49 total digs while averaging a hefty 8.17 per set.

Tampa opened its title defense with a three-set win over Wayne State (25-12, 25-16, 25-22) paced by senior Jessica Wagner. The middle blocker swung a near-perfect 8-for-9 to compliment a 14-kill effort from Whaley.

Junior Gina Clarke spun 35 assists while tuning the Spartan offense to a team .316 attack clip, adding five digs and two kills. Holanchock anchored the back row with her record-breaking 32 digs as a freshman. Middle blocker Katarina Milojevic totaled six blocks in her UT debut, grounding five kills at a .571 clip.

The Warriors were led by outside hitter Hannah Moore who totaled 15 kills but the offense was unable to match the torrid UT attack.

UT battled the No.24-ranked Vikings to a 3-0 sweep thanks to a double-double performance from Whaley. The senior All-American grounded 19 kills at a .441 attack percentage while notching a game-high 19 digs

Opposite hitter Marissa Lisenbee followed with 16 kills while Wagner rounded out the match with eight kills. Holanchock was stalwart in the back-row, posting 17 digs during the night contest to help limit Western Washington to a meager .099 team hitting clip.

The Spartans will conclude the Courtyard by Marriott Classic facing a pair of top-10 foes in No. 9 Wheeling Jesuit at 2:30 p.m. and No. 4 Minnesota-Duluth at 7 p.m. The contests will be played in the Bob Martinez Athletic Center on Saturday with live stats and a live video webcast being made available for both games at www.tampaspartans.com.

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