Spartans Hold On To Defeat Wheeling Jesuit

TAMPA, Fla. - The No. 10 University of Tampa (2-0 )volleyball team won its second match of the young season as the Spartans defeated Wheeling Jesuit (W.V.) University (1-2) by a score of 3-2. UT took the first two sets by scores of 25-12 and 25-15 before WJU won the third and fourth sets 25-17 and 25-13. Tampa bounced back to claim the victory with a 15-6 set five triumph.

After a dominating first and second set, UT struggled in the following two sets before a dramatic turnaround in the deciding set. After hitting 65.4 percent in the first set, UT dropped to 26.9 in the second before dipping to 20.5 and 8.8 in the third and fourth sets. The Spartans rebounded to hit at a 55 percent clip in the final set.

Melissa Vanderhall led the way for Tampa with 18 kills while Jessica Yingling, Camille Hanks and Kaleigh Cunningham each turned in 14. Julie Howlett had a team-high 11 digs as Yingling recorded her first career double-double with 10 digs. Hanks led UT with three blocks. Meghan Sherman tallied 52 assists to lead all Spartans.

The Spartans return to action on Saturday as it hosts Georgian Court at 3:30 p.m. Fans may follow the game via live stats and a live webcast through www.tampaspartans.com. UT also offers eScores, which is a free text messaging service that sends text alerts following all Spartan events. Fans may also follow University of Tampa athletics on Twitter (UTSpartans) and Facebook.