#4 Tampa Suffers 3-0 Setback Against #23 Saint Leo

TAMPA, Fla. - The fourth-ranked University of Tampa volleyball team suffered its second loss of the season to Sunshine State Conference foe No. 23 Saint Leo University 3-0 (23-25, 22-25, 23-25). The defeat marks the first to the Lions in the program's history as SLU improves to 15-2 and 6-0 in the SSC, while UT drops to 14-2 and 5-1.

The first set was a tight game that featured 20 tie scores and eight lead changes. Both teams hit well with Tampa edging Saint Leo .406 to .375, but the Lions were able to take a late lead and hold on 25-23. The second game was just as close as the score was tied at 21, when Bruna Rocha slammed a kill to spark a 4-1 run for the Lions to win the set.

The third frame saw Tampa with a three point lead at 19-16 until Saint Leo came back to tie it at 21, then going ahead on another Rocha kill. The Spartans would take a timeout and come out of the break with back-to-back kills from Camille Hanks, but the Lions responded with three consecutive kills to end the match.

Saint Leo held the advantage in every offensive category and in blocks. Melissa Vanderhall led all Spartans with 13 kills while Kaleigh Cunningham put down 11. Hanks had an effective outing converting nine of 15 with no errors for a .600 hitting percentage. Junior setter Meghan Sherman handed out 42 assists to pace the offense to a .324 mark to finish the match.

Sophomore Julie Howlett was the only player on either teams to finish with double-figures in digs with 14, as Molly Krull turned in a career-high eight digs.

Rocha finished with a match-best 21 kills at an amazing .538 clip to lead the Lions. Emily Calderon-Reyes put down 12 kills with a .357 attack percentage, as SLU finished the match hitting .409 as a team.

The Spartans return to action Tuesday as it plays host to No. 25 Eckerd at 7 p.m. 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.