Spartans WIn SSC Opener

TAMPA, Fla.  – The 13^th ranked University of Tampa Spartans returned back to the Martinez Center and faced off against the Eckerd College Tritons in the Sunshine State Conference opener for both teams. The Spartans improve their record to 5-4, 1-0 SSC while the Tritons drop to 7-2, 0-1 SSC.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Tritons were able to jump out to an early lead as they jumped ahead of the Spartans with a 6-2 advantage. The Spartans were able to claw their way back into the game as they overtook the lead at 9-7. EC was able to go on another run as they held went on to a six-point advantage at 16-10. UT was resilient as they were able to settle down and eventually tie the game at 22. Sorrel Houghton sealed the first set for Tampa as she recorded the kill to end the first set at 25-23, in favor of the Spartans.

In the second set the Tritons, both teams came out hot, putting up points quickly. Majority of the set was kept within a few points. Midway through the set the Spartans began scoring at will, taking a 19-16 led, giving Tampa momentum and a serious advantage as the set was coming to a close. The three-point lead turned into a 25-19 win for the Spartans, with much help from Kamari Potter who had a total of 7 kills through only 2 sets.

The third set was hard fought for both teams. The Tritons, again, started out with an early lead. The Spartans managed to quickly come back. This set was particularly competitive as we saw multiple lead changes throughout the set. Late in the match, the Spartans started to overwhelm the competition and took the set 25-20. This was the third and final set of the match, ultimately resulting in the Spartans their fifth win of the season.  

INSIDE THE STATS

• Katie McKiel led the Spartans in kills again, as she recorded 13. She also added eight digs on the night.
• Mackenzie Dufresne and Kamari Potter were an offensive force upfront as the middle blockers each recorded eight kills each.
• Nicole Dominguez led the team with 3 digs on the night.
• Sammy Mueller paced the way for the Spartans, as she totals 32 assists.
• The Spartans held the Tritons to a .118 hitting percentage. 

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE

• Tampa improves to 94-2 all-time against Eckerd.
• The loss snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Tritons. 

UP NEXT

UT will return to action tomorrow afternoon as they welcome in the Saint Leo Lions into the Martinez Center. The match is set to begin at 4:00 p.m.

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