#20 Nova Southeastern Creeps By #8 Tampa In Back-and-forth SSC Battle

TAMPA, Fla. – Two Sunshine State Conference powerhouses clashed in a mid-season matchup.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

Final: No. 20 Nova Southeastern 3 (1: 26-24, 2: 26-24, 3: 25-21, 4: 25-22), No. 8 Tampa 1

Records: No. 8 Tampa Spartans 13-2 (7-1 SSC), No. 20 Nova Southeastern Sharks 13-0 (7-0 SSC)

Location: Bob Martinez Athletics Center || Tampa, Fla.

All-Time Series: The Spartans still hold a commanding lead in the all-time series 34-3

Follow Us: @TampaSpartans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube

HOW IT HAPPENED:

First Set: As expected, the first set of the top 20 matchup was tightly contested. Great defense from senior Claudia Rivera led to a string of attacks from middle blocker Taylor Fosler, and outside hitters Kalli Cors and Sorrel Houghton. However, the Sharks of Nova Southeastern would battle back and take the first set by a score of 26-24 II 1-0 UT Trails

Second Set: The second set began with a back-and-forth battle between the two teams -- neither team gaining a clear advantage. The Spartans would build a small lead powered by excellent setting from senior Melissa Elias and freshman Emily Noe, but again the sharks would scratch their way back to a lead. Tampa would capitalize on great blocks from Cors and Sierra Rayzor which helped the Spartans comeback to take the second set 26-24 II 1-1 Tied

Third Set: Two scoring runs would help Nova build leads in the third set but were answered on both occasions by multiple kills and blocks from Rayzor, helping the Spartans narrow the margin in the set. A big block of their own helped the Sharks secure the third set by a score of 25-21 II 2-1 UT Trails

Fourth Set: The highly competitive contest would continue into the fourth set -- a 9-3 scoring run from the Sharks put them in the driver's seat. Back-to-back service aces would help stop the bleeding for Tampa, but the Spartans were unable to turn the momentum. Nova Southeastern would go on to take the fourth set and the game 25-22. II 3-1 NSU Wins 

INSIDE THE STATS:

• UT's offensive attack was led by outside hitters Katie McKiel (13 kills) and Sorrel Houghton (12 kills)
• Elias posted her eighth game this season with at least 22 assists (22).

UP NEXT: Tampa will look to get back in the win column this upcoming Tuesday as they take on Saint Leo at 7:00 PM.

GAMEDAY MULTIMEDIA: Fans may watch all home games and Sunshine State Conference contests on TampaSpartans.tv. Live stats are also available through TampaStats.com.

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.