The Rollins Tars Defeat the Tampa Spartans 3 Sets to 1

WINTER PARK, Fla. – The Rollins College Tars defeated the University of Tampa Spartans four sets to one in a road showdown. The Tars move to 3-4 in SSC play, while the Spartans fall to 1-4. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

Final: Rollins College 3, Tampa 1  (25-23, 22-25, 25-23, 25-17)
Records: Tampa Spartans (3-10, 1-4 SSC), Rollins (4-7, 3-4 SSC)
Location: Harold and Ted Alfond Sports Center | Winter Park, Fla.
Follow Us: @TampaSpartans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Vimeo  

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Set 1 | Rollins took the first set 25-23. Tampa was slow to start as they missed four serves before earning ten points. However, the Spartans battled back behind the offensive efforts of Nicole Dominguez. Dominguez finished the set with five kills at a whopping .571 kill percentage. Additionally, she had a solo stuff block that changed the momentum of the game. Sophomore Sammy Mueller dished up the offense with eight assists. Freshman Kaitlyn Ajmani started at libero for UT logging five digs, while fellow freshman Sorrel Houghton contributed two kills to UT's offensive efforts, hitting .400 on the set.

Set 2 | Once again, UT was led on offense by Dominguez who dominated the court with six kills, totaling 11 as the teams went in for intermission. As their shoulders warmed, Nylah Demps and Taylor Fosler brought the heat with some loaded kills. The two contributed five and two kills respectively in the set. After a back and forth battle between the two teams, Gen Beaumier aced the Tars, giving Tampa some needed energy. Melissa Elias took over as Tampa's primary setter, ending the set with 13 assists. The Spartans pulled away with the victory, defeating the Tars in set two 25-22.

Set 3 | After one of the longest rallies of the match, Fosler set the tone coming out of intermission with an outstanding kill. Throughout the rest of the set, the pendulum of momentum continued to shift back and forth. Danielle Christian got a huge stuff block for the Spartans to give them the lead at 21-20. However, the Tars battled back and went on to win the third with a set score of 25-23. Dominguez, Demps, and Fosler had three, two, and two kills in the set respectively.  Ajmani continued at libero for UT picking up seven digs for the Spartans.

Set 4 | Senior Kasey Reynolds was subbed in to serve for the Spartans, acing the Tar and tying the set at seven. Demps continued to perform for the Spartans, recording a double-double. On offense, she contributed four more kills and ending the match with 12 total, in addition to having 10 digs for UT. The Tars took the set with an ending score of 25-17.

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Demps recoded her first double-double of the season, with 12 kills and 10 digs in the match. Additionally, she recorded a block for the Spartans.  

• Ajmani ended the match with a new career high of 22 digs for Tampa.

• Elias ended the match with a new career high of 33 assists for Tampa.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Tampa leads the all-time series against the Tars 87-6. This is the first time Rollins has defeated the Spartans since September of 2010.

UP NEXT:

Tampa continues their 2017 season with a pair of road matches on Friday, October 6th and Saturday, October 7^th against the Embry-Riddle Eagles and the Florida Tech Panthers respectively. Tampa will not return home until Friday, Oct. 20 where they will host the Nova Southeastern Sharks for a 7 pm. match. Live stats and a live video webcast will be provided through www.tampaspartans.com. 

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