No. 5 Tampa Sweeps Aside Rollins

WINTER PARK, Fla. - The fifth-ranked University of Tampa Spartans volleyball team pushed past the Rollins College Tars by a 3-0 final (25-19, 25-19, 25-20). With the win, Tampa improves to 12-1 and 3-0 in Sunshine State Conference play while Rollins falls to 11-5 and 0-3.

In the first game, Tampa struggled a bit as Rollins opened the match with a 3-0 lead and maintained it until the Spartans were able to tie it at 11. Freshman Jessica Yingling drove home a kill to give UT their first lead of the game and a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Yingling would end up with five kills in the game as Tampa would win 25-19.

The second set had a similar storyline with the Spartans trailing 10-9, but then used a 5-1 run to distance itself from the Tars. Rollins managed to cut the lead down to one at 15-14, until another Yingling kill sparked a 10-3 run giving UT enough to put Rollins away 25-17. Junior Sam Macks slammed three kills in the set and posted two blocks, while Danielle Selkridge was a perfect 3-3.

It was another close game in the third with the teams tied at 12, when Selkridge delivered a big solo block to give Tampa the lead. The Spartans wouldn't look back as they kept the lead for the rest of the frame and earned a 25-20 final to end the match.

Yingling, who picked up eight kills in the third set, finished with a match-high 17 kills. Kaleigh Cunningham picked up eight kills and committed only one error while registering eight digs as well. Sophomore setter Meghan Sherman handed out 35 assists as Tampa finished with 42 kills.

Last week's Sunshine State Conference Player of the Week Julie Howlett paced the back row with a team-high 12 digs, and was the only player in the match to finish with double-digits.

The Spartans held the advantage in nearly all catagories, except for blocks where the Tars earned a 9.5-7 lead. Each team did commit its fair share of errors as Rollins had 20 to Tampa's 19. That equated to low hitting percentages as UT swung at .235 rate but held Rollins to just .070.

Tampa returns to action at home this Saturday for a 4 p.m. match against SSC opponent Florida Tech. UT will offer live stats and webcast through www.tampaspartans.com. Fans may follow University of Tampa athletics on Twitter (www.twitter.com/utspartans) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/tampaspartans). UT also offers eScores, which is a free text messaging service that sends text alerts following all Spartan events.