No. 9 Tampa Falls Short at No. 17 Lynn

Boca Raton, FL. – The Spartans suffer back-to-back losses to close out the weekend of Sunshine Conference Play.

Final Score: Tampa 0 (1: 18-25, 2: 20-25, 3: 17-25), Lynn 3

Records: Tampa (21-4, 13-4 SSC), Lynn (25-3, 15-3 SSC)

Location: De Hoernle Sports Center | Boca Raton, Fla. 

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

First Set: The Spartans jumped into the first set with a quick Zoey Seput assisted kill from Rachel Gregg, showing early promise. However, Lynn responded with several service aces that ultimately gave them the advantage early in the set. Tampa responded with kills from Kalli Cors, Nathaly Perez, and Connor Rahn to round out a 4-0 run that cut the Lynn lead to 14-13. Although never regaining the lead, the Spartans were resilient late in the set, with another kill coming from Perez followed by a Hayley Dillon ace to score the set at 20-16, in favor of the Knights. Lynn closed out the set by scoring 4 of the last 5 points in the set, will kills from 3 different players. | Score: 25-18 Lynn

Second Set: Early in the set, a block by Rahn and Gregg helped the Spartans take a brief 2-1 lead. However, the Fighting Knights regained control early and held a lead for the rest remainder of the set. Tampa's defense continued to show moments of brilliance, such as a critical block by Jenna Davis and Dillon that narrowed the gap to 12-16. Davis and Gregg also provided kills to keep Tampa within reach, reducing Lynn's lead to 17-20 late in the set. However, some service errors coupled with Lynn's balanced offense, allowed the Knights to edge out Tampa by the end of the second set. | Score 25-20 Lynn

Third Set: With the match on the line, Tampa quickly snagged the first 2 points of the set but, unfortunately, Lynn gathered a lead that the Spartans were only ever able to match and not overtake. After a strong kill from Gregg knotted the set at 13, the Fighting Knights responded with a 6-1 scoring run which ultimately gave the home squad a 19-14 lead late in the final set. The Spartans attempted to rally late, with a towering block from Davis that was shortly followed by a kill from Tess Schrenger, cutting the Lynn lead to 22-17. The Fighting Knights retaliated by scoring the next 3 points to seal the set, match, and day. | Score: 25-17 Lynn

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Davis and Gregg combined for 5 blocks.
• Seput added 22 assists.
• Tampa totaled 5 service aces.