No. 9 Tampa Captures NCAA South Regional, Defeats No. 5 West Florida

PENSACOLA, Fla. – The No. 9 nationally ranked University of Tampa Spartans volleyball team took down No. 5 nationally ranked West Florida in four sets, 3-1, to win the NCAA South Regional Championship Saturday night at UWF Field House. West Florida came into the NCAA South Regional Tournament as the No. 1 seed, while the Spartans were No. 2. This win cements the Spartans place in the NCAA Championship Quarterfinals.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:

Final Score: #9 Tampa 3 (2: 25-13, 25-21, 25-23), #5 West Florida 1 (1: 25-20)

Records: #9 Tampa 31-2 (19-1 SSC), #5 West Florida (35-2)

Location: UWF Field House || Pensacola, Fla.

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HOW IT HAPPENED:

First Set: The Spartans and Argos played a close first set, neck-and-neck until the 18th point. West Florida held a slight edge, 18-16, before capturing the opening set with a 7-4 run to win, 25-20. Kalli Cors and Mackenzie Dufresne led the Spartan attack with four kills apiece in the set. Melissa Elias nearly had double-digit assists to open the match, narrowly missing the mark with nine after a single set. Not far behind was Emily Noe, who had five assists herself. Score: 1-0 West Florida

Second Set: UT opened the second set with a quick 4-0 run to create momentum, and at one point led by as much as nine at the 21-12 mark. Katie McKiel came alive in the second set with five kills, four of which were set up by Elias. Tampa closed the set with a 15-7 run, turning on the jets for a dominant showing in the second stanza to even the match. Score: 1-1 Tied

Third Set: UT and UWF put on a thrilling third set, setting the stage for a down-to-the-wire final set. McKiel again was a force to be reckoned with, as she piled onto her kill total with her second five kill set of the match. Elias nearly matched her nine assists first set outburst, playing helper to eight Spartan kills in the third frame. Tied 20-20 down the stretch, the Spartans marched with a 5-1 run to seal the third set, 25-21. Score: 2-1 Tampa

Fourth Set: Down-to-the-wire, point-for-point continued to be the theme in the matches final set, as the Spartans and Argos went tit-for-tat to a 10-10 tie to begin the closing set. Sarah Luoma and Taylor Fosler played hero down the stretch, as the duo combined for nine kills in the final set. With a one-point lead, 20-19, Luoma and Fosler were responsible for three of five must-have Spartan points, giving UT a narrow but winning edge, 25-23, to secure its spot in the NCAA Quarterfinals. Final: 3-1 Tampa

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Three Spartans posted 10 or more kills: Cors (13), McKiel (13), and Fosler (13).
• Elias and Noe combined with 52 assists, having 30 and 22, respectively.
• Fosler was too much for the Argos all night, as she hit a blistering .667.
• Elias was second on the team with 12 digs, just behind match leader Claudia Rivera, who had 17.
• Sorrel Houghton's three service aces led all players.
• Elias' 30 assists and 12 digs was her 15th double-double this season.

UP NEXT: The Spartans move on to the NCAA Quarterfinals, which take place at the Bob Martinez Athletics Center on December 9-11.

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