Spartan's Slither Past Mocs to Stay Unbeaten

TAMPA, Fla. – The No. 4 Tampa Spartans maintain their perfect record following a gritty match against their in-state opponent Florida Southern Mocs

Final Score: Tampa 3 (1: 25-17, 2: 25-17, 3: 26-24), Florida Southern 0

Records: No. 4 Tampa (8-0, 2-0 SSC), Florida Southern (6-2, 1-1 SSC) 

Location: George W. Jenkins Field House| Lakeland, Fla.

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

First Set: The Spartans opened the first set down 7-4, but a quick 10-4 run that was riddled with 7 assists from Emily Noe, put the Spartans on top. The Mocs then called their first timeout after a perfectly placed kill from Kalli Cors made the score 14-11. Unfortunately for Florida Southern, the Spartan's run continued until 17-12. Coach Crowder of the Mocs called another timeout down 20-14. Through a strong offensive presence, Tampa ultimately took the first set following another kill from Cors. JJ Ramirez lead all players in the first set with 7 digs. The Spartans had 18 kills to go along with a hitting percentage of .256 in the first set. | Score: 25-17 (Tampa)

Second Set: The beginning of the second set shared many similarities with the first, back-and-forth close action, a high flying Spartan offense, and the Mocs holding strong defensively. Coach Catanach called a Spartan timeout after the Mocs went on a 6-0 run. However, the Spartans quickly found themselves after the break, making the score 13-11 as they headed into a Mocs timeout. Mackenzie Dufresne maintained a powerful presence up front with a late set kill, and a block on the next play to give Tampa the 21-16 lead. Once again, Cors closed out the set with what appeared to be an unblockable kill. The Spartan's hitting percentage, .323, trumped the Mocs' , .194, in the second set. | Score: 25-17 (Tampa)

Third Set: Being down 2 sets to none, Florida Southern began the third set strong, putting Tampa in a 6-1 hole which signaled a timeout from Catanach. Multiple times the Spartans got within 2 points of the Mocs but weren't able to tie the set until 12-12. Dufresne tied the set yet again at 16-16 with a flawless kill, assisted by Zoey Seput. Tampa was forced to call their final timeout as Florida Southern climbed ahead 19-16. With the momentum appearing to be in favor of the Mocs, the Spartans ignited a run and got within 1 point at 20-21 which lead to a Mocs timeout. Coach Crowder was forced to call what would be her final timeout after 2 aces from Cors tied the game again, at 23 points each. The Spartans, proving their resilience, closed the set out with a kill from Tess Schrenger. | Score: 26-14 (Tampa)

INSIDE THE STATS: 

• Kalli Cors hit .519 with 14 kills and 0 errors
• Mackenzie Dufresne recorded a hitting percentage of .438
• Four Spartans tallied double digit digs, Cors (12), Emily Noe (12), Zoey Seput(14), and JJ Ramirez (19)