Top Ranked Tampa Pits Perfect Record Against Rival FSC

LAKELAND, Fla. - Just a day after earning the No. 1 spot in the nation, the University of Tampa volleyball team will take on Sunshine State Conference rival Florida Southern College Wednesday in an away game at Jenkins Field House.

The 23-0 Spartans will meet the 13-10 Mocs for the second time this season, the first resulting in a four-set Tampa victory. The top ranked Spartans also hold a 10-0 record in conference play as FSC is currently fourth in the SSC with a 7-4 tally.

Both teams are coming off a pair of weekend wins against SSC foes Barry University and Lynn University as the Mocs swept both matches in three sets while it took the Spartans four sets to defeat the Fighting Knights.

The American Volleyball Coaches Association dubbed Tampa the top team after previously first-ranked squad Concordia St. Paul was dethroned by the No. 4 ranked University of Minnesota Duluth in a five set thriller last Saturday. UMD now holds the No. 2 spot while the Golden Bears fall in behind at fourth.

Tampa holds a slight edge over conference arch-rival FSC in all time record with a 58-56 tally between the two teams. The road game has been designated as Dig Pink Night by the host team, fans encouraged to wear pink in support of breast cancer awareness. The match is slated to begin at 7 p.m. at Jenkins Field House in Lakeland.

Live stats will be provided through www.tampaspartans.com. Fans may also follow University of Tampa athletics on Twitter (www.twitter.com/utspartans) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/tampaspartans). UT also offers blAst, a free text messaging service that sends text alerts following all Spartan events. To sign up, please register at www.tampaspartans.com.