Spartans Bounce Back with Win Over Tars

TAMPA, Fla. – The University of Tampa Spartans defeated the Rollins College Tars three sets to two, with scores of 25-15, 29-31, 25-14, 25-27, and 17-15. The Spartans move to 7-7 in the SSC, while the Tars fall to 5-11. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Tampa 3, Rollins 2  (25-15, 29-31, 25-14, 25-27, 17-15)
Records: Tampa Spartans (12-13, 7-7 SSC), Rollins College Tars (8-15, 5-11 SSC)
Location: Bob Martinez Athletics Center | Tampa, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
Set 1 | UT took the first set 25-15. Sorrel Houghton led Tampa on offense with four kills hitting .375. Defensively, setter Sammy Mueller led the way with three digs, in addition to her eight assists and one service ace in the set. Freshman Kaitlyn Ajmani suited up as the Spartans starting libero. Tampa's offense was more lethal in the set, out-hitting the Tars, .350 to .080.

Set 2 | In the second game, Taylor Fosler demanded her presence in the Spartan's offense, earing five kills in the set at a .429 kill percentage. Following Fosler's efforts were Houghton and Nicole Dominguez who each logged four kills. Libero Ajmani dug the Tars on 10 different occasions, while setter Mueller quarterbacked UT with 15 assists. Battling to a set score of 31-29, Rollins came out on top, mainly due to the offensive efforts of Shannon McDonough. McDonough ended the set with seven kills, hitting a whopping .429.

Set 3 | Following intermission, Dominguez had the hot hand for Tampa's offense. She stated six kills on 11 total attempts, hitting .455 in the game. Additionally, Dominguez had one of the two service aces for UT in the set. Houghton and Fosler each picked up four more kills for the Spartans, while middle Alexandra Misca recorded two at a perfect 1.000 kill percentage. In this set, pin hitter Nylah Demps acted as the primary defender for Tampa with five digs in addition to logging the Spartan's other service ace. Mueller continued to dish out assists, earning 16 in the third set alone! The Spartans stomped on the Tars 25-14, out hitting Rollins .438 to .029.

Set 4 | The momentum shifted in the fourth, in favor of Rollins. The Tars defeated the Spartans in this set 27-25, once again due to the hitting efforts of McDonough. For Tampa, the pin attackers struggled, relying heavily on middle hitter Fosler, who led the team with four kills at a .571 kill percentage. Libero Ajmani picked up four more digs for UT, while Mueller added 10 assists.

Set 5 | In the fifth and final set, UT was quick to rely on Houghton for an offensive spark. Houghton delivered that spark with four kills in the set, followed by Dominguez and Fosler each with three. Ending the match, Houghton, Dominguez, and Fosler had 18, 17, and 16 kills respectively. Defensively, libero Ajmani logged two more digs in this game, ending the match with a team-high of 17. Two Spartans earned double-doubles in the match, Dominguez with her 17 kills and 15 digs, and also setter Sammy Mueller, who logged a season-high 61 assists with 11 digs. Mueller also had two service aces for Tampa. Although Rollin's star hitter McDonough ended the match with 24 kills, Tampa was able to close out the fifth set 17-15.

INSIDE THE STATS:
• Taylor Fosler had a season-high of 16 kills in the match, hitting .538.
• Nicole Dominguez earned a double-double with 17 kills and 15 digs. This was her either double-double of the season. Additionally, her 17 kills was a season-high for the sophomore outside hitter.
• Sammy Mueller stated her fourth double-double of the season, with a season-high and career-high of 61 assists in a match. She logged 11 digs for UT tonight in addition to having two service aces.  

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
• Tampa leads the all-time series against Rollins 88-6. The Spartans split with the Tars this season.

UP NEXT:
Tampa will continue the 2017 season tomorrow November 5, with a showdown against the Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish. The match is slated to start at 4:00 p.m. and will take place at the Bob Martinez Athletics Center. Live stats and a live video webcast will be provided through www.tampaspartans.com. 

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