Spartans Hold Off Feisty Tritons to Kick Off Alumni Weekend

TAMPA, Fla. - The Spartans defeat the Tritons in tight five setter to stay undefeated.

Final Score: No. 1 Tampa 3 (1: 22-25, 2: 25-16, 3: 25-19, 4: 19-25, 5: 15-13), Eckerd 2

Records: No. 1 Tampa (13-0, 5-0 SSC), Eckerd (11-5, 1-4 SSC)

Location: Bob Martinez Athletic Center | Tampa, Fla.

HOW IT HAPPENED: 

First Set: Tampa trailed for the entirety of the first set despite never trailing by more than five points. Tampa made their first big push by scoring four consecutive points with Rachel Gregg serving after being down 10-5 including a solo block by Mak Carter to reduce the deficit to just one point. Tampa fought all the way back and tied the set 14-14 with an ace from Ana Rivera then again 16-16 with a kill by Gregg. However, the Tritons would rebuild their lead to five points and lead 23-18. Tampa would then go on their second four point run of the set with Kayla Dondero serving capped off by a Jenna Davis kill to make the score 22-23. The Tritons would reset though and hold off the late Spartan charge. | Score: 22-25 Eckerd

Second Set: Eckerd started set two in a similar fashion to set one by scoring five of the first seven points. However, Tampa struck back immediately by scoring eight of the next nine points including a pair of service aces by Lainey Perdue. The Spartans started their next run with a block by Tess Schrenger and Gregg to lead 11-8. Tampa achieved their largest lead of nine points at 21-12 and were able to achieve that margin again at 23-14 off a kill by Carter. Tampa would go on to win the set by the same margin. | Score 25-16 Tampa

Third Set: Tampa achieved a great start to set three by scoring nine of the first 11 points to quickly grab a seven point lead. Tampa grabbed a nine point lead off of a kill by Schrenger a few points later. Eckerd would reverse the trick on Tampa with a comeback of their own by scoring 10 of the next 12 points. However, Tampa held on and stopped the run thanks in part to a Maddie Sofarelli kill. Tampa would regain momentum and end up clinching the set with an ace from Dondero. | Score 25-19 Tampa

Fourth Set: The fourth set started with Nathaly Perez earning the 1,000th kill of her career on the first point of the set. The set was tight throughout with neither team holding a lead more than three until late in the set. Set four also held the most ties (9) and lead changes (5) of any set by far. The Spartans took their biggest lead of the set when a Gregg kill was followed immediately by a Perdue ace. However, the Tritons would regain the lead and pull away from the Spartans scoring nine of the final 12 points of the set. | Score: 19-25 Eckerd

Fifth Set: The Spartans started set five quickly with a Nathaly Perez kill earning a 3-1 lead in the shortened set. Tampa kept the pressure on and quickly earned a four point lead with a kill by Connor Rahn. Tampa led 11-9 when the Jenna Davis show took over as she smacked a kill followed by two blocks to score three consecutive Tampa points. The Spartans would hold on in the end with a Perez kill to end the match. | Score: 15-13 Tampa

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Perez and Schrenger each tallied double-digit kills.
• Schrenger led the Spartans in kills (11), digs (16), and co-led in blocks with Gregg (3).
• The Spartans improved to 13-0.
• Jenna Glaudel and Dondero each recorded 20 assists on the match.
• Tampa had seven service aces.
• Four Spartans tallied double-digit digs.
• Perdue and Rivera each recorded three aces to lead the team.