Spartans to Host Last Regular Season Home Weekend

TAMPA, Fla. – The University of Tampa volleyball team is geared up to host the No. 23 Barry University Buccaneers and the Lynn University Fighting Knights for their final regular season home weekend. The games will begin at 7:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday respectively. On Saturday against the Knights, the Spartans will be honoring their four seniors. 

Match 1: No. 7 University of Tampa (25-2, 15-1 SSC) vs. No. 23 Barry University (24-3, 13-3 SSC)

Date/Time:  Friday, November 2 at 7 p.m.

Location: Bob Martinez Athletic Center | Tampa, Fla.

Last Time Out: The Spartans were handed their first conference loss of the season from the then No. 17 ranked Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish. In the matchup, Sorrel Houghton and Alexandra Misca led the Spartans offense with 15 and 7 kills respectively. Houghton ended the night hitting .286, while Misca hit .455 in addition to having five blocks and two service aces for UT. Junior Sammy Mueller quarterbacked the Spartans, ending the game with 33 assists, while fellow classman, Nicole Dominguez, suited up as libero, earning a team-high of 20 digs.  

About the Spartans: The Spartans' 25-2 start is the best since the 2014 season. The 2014 team concluded the season as national champions. UT started this season unranked after falling out of the poll for the first time in 21 years in week 1 of the 2017 season. This season, the Spartans lead the Sunshine State Conference in hitting percentage (.275), assists (13.51 per set), and kills (14.26 per set). Middle blockers Taylor Fosler and Alexandra Misca are first and fifth in the conference in hitting percentage, hitting .410 and .359 respectively. The sophomore, outside hitting duo of Houghton and McKiel have 361 and 364 kills and are third and fifth respectively in kills per set. Setter Sammy Mueller is fourth in the conference in assists. She averages 9.98 assists per set.

About the Buccaneers: The Buccaneers are currently 24-3 overall, 13-3 in the SSC. The team sits third in conference, with their only losses coming from Tampa and Palm Beach Atlantic. Barry is led offensively by junior outside hitter Megi Buvinic and junior middle blocker Kristina Filimonova. Buvinic and Filimonova are stride for stride with each other this season with 324 and 323 kills respectively. The Buccaneers run a 5-1, primarily using the hands of freshman setter Bianca Pasca who has 962 assists on the season. Audren Rose suits up as libero for BU, she is second in the SSC in digs with 544 this season, averaging 5.98 per set. Middle blocker Stassy Samokhvalova also ranks first in blocks, averaging 1.34 per set. As a team Barry is second in the conference in hitting percentage (.256), second in assists per set (13.04), third in kills per set (13.93), second in blocks per set (2.45), and second in service aces per set (1.72). 

Series History: The Spartans lead the all-time series over Barry 54-16. Earlier this season, the Spartans escaped the Buccaneers in a five-set thriller.

Match 2: No. 7 University of Tampa (25-2, 15-1 SSC) vs. Lynn University (14-12, 7-9 SSC)

Senior Day: Prior to the start of the match, Tampa will recognize the accomplishments of their four seniors, Marisa Beisner, Danielle Christian, Gen Beaumier, and Alexandra Misca. 

Date/Time:  Saturday, November 3 at 4 p.m.

Location: Bob Martinez Athletic Center | Tampa, Fla.

About the Fighting Knights: The Fighting Knights are currently 14-12 overall, 7-9 in the SSC. Lynn is coming off back-to-back wins over the Eckerd Tritons 3-2 and the Nova Southeastern Sharks 3-0. Statistically, the team's offense and defense are led by the outside hitting duo of Sonja Udovcic and Rafaela Fonseca who have 362 and 331 kills respectively. Udovcic has 347 digs on the season and Fonseca has 339. Isadora Nicolai is the team's primary setter. She has 742 assists, averaging 7.81 assists per set. 

Series History: The Spartans lead the all-time series over the Fighting Knights 42-3. Earlier this season, Tampa swept Lynn.

Tickets: General Admission ticket prices for all Tampa regular season athletic events are $5. Youth (ages 12 and under) are admitted free of charge. Students and faculty/staff are admitted free with a valid UT ID.

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