Spartans to Host Three SSC games This Week
TAMPA, Fla. – The University of Tampa volleyball team returns home, as they welcome in the Florida Southern College Moccasins, the Nova Southeastern University Sharks and the Lynn University Fighting Knights. UT enters the week with a 6-6 record overall and sit at 2-2 in SSC play.
The Matchup: The Spartans will have three home games this week against Florida Southern College (2-9, 0-4 SSC), Nova Southeastern University (8-4, 1-3 SSC), and Lynn University (11-1, 4-0 SSC)
Date/Time: Tuesday vs. Florida Southern at 7:00 p.m. | Friday vs. Nova Southeastern at 7:00 p.m. | Saturday vs. Lynn 4:00 p.m.
Location: Bob Martinez Athletics Center || Tampa, Fla. || 400 N Blvd, Tampa, FL 33606
About the Spartans: Tampa returns home after splitting two road conference matchups this past weekend. The Spartans fell to #25 Barry in five sets on Friday and then bounced back as they swept Palm Beach Atlantic on Saturday.
Sophomore Kamari Potter had a career game against Barry, as she recorded a career-high 11 kills and tied her career-high with five total blocks. Sarah Luoma had a big game against Palm Beach Atlantic, as she recorded 10 kills and hit at a .563 percentage.
On the season, Katie McKiel and Sorrel Houghton continue to lead the Tampa attack, as they have 164 and 129 kills on the season respectively. McKiel's 164 kills leads the Sunshine State Conference, while Houghton ranks eighth in the conference with her 129. Potter ranks eighth in the conference with a .345 hitting percentage on the year.
On the defensive side of the ball, Nicole Dominguez leads the team in digs as she has a total of 154. The 154 digs ranks her sixth in the Sunshine State Conference. Potter has also been a force on defense, as the middle blocker has a total of 29 blocks, which ranks in the top 15 for the conference.
Melissa Elias was a consistent force for the Spartans over the weekend, as she registered back-to-back double-doubles. Against Barry, she recorded 14 assists and 14 digs and against Palm Beach Atlantic she recorded 15 assists and 13 digs.
About the Mocs: Florida Southern enters the game with an overall record of 2-9 and currently holds a five-game losing streak. The Mocs are led by Erica Ronda, who has 97 kills on the season. She also ranks second on the team in digs with 111. Beatrice Formilan leads the FSC defense as she has 143 digs, which is ninth in the conference.
About the Sharks: The Sharks enter the week with a record of 8-4 and sit at 1-3 in SSC play. The Sharks will be entering the matchup following a win, as they defeated Rollins College in three sets. Ally Ford leads the Sharks attack as she has 163 kills on the season. Ford is second in the conference with the 164 kills, right behind McKiel. Aleyna Kennel Kennel is ranked in the top 10 in the SSC with 139 digs.
About the Fighting Knights: Lynn enters the game at 11-1, which is the best start in program history. LU holds a seven-game winning streak and sits undefeated in conference play at 4-0. The Fighting Knights have used a balanced attack as they have three players with over 100 kills so far this season. Sonja Udovcic leads the team with 138 kills and ranks second on the team with 149 digs. Marine Kinna is second on the team in kills with 130 and is third on the team with 132 digs. Victoria Macaluso is the third player with over 100 kills, as she enters the week with 116. Lauren Odom leads the defense as the middle blocker has a total of 47 blocks on the season.
All-Time Series: Tampa leads the all-time series against all three teams. Against FSC, UT holds a 73-56 record. Against Nova Southeastern, Tampa holds a 33-1 record and against Lynn, the Spartans hold a 43-3 record.
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.
Follow UT Athletics: @TampaSpartans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube. Follow www.tampastats.com for live updates.
Text Alerts: UT also offers a free text messaging service that sends text alerts following all Spartan events. To sign up, please register at www.tampaspartans.com.
Front Row: Download the official app of UT Athletics on the Apple or Android store. Look for the Tampa Spartans Front Row app to receive notifications from your favorite Spartan teams. The app is completely free.