Spartans Take Fifth Consecutive South Region Crown

TAMPA, Fla. - Winning its fifth straight NCAA Division II South Region title, the No. 1 University of Tampa volleyball team defeated the No. 23 University of West Florida 3-1 to advance to the NCAA Division II Quarterfinals. The Spartans improve to 32-1 and continue their season while the Argonauts end their campaign with a 28-8 record.

Daktronics South Region Player of the Year Berkley Whaley unleashed a 21 kill onslaught at a torrid .455 attack percentage. The sophomore posted a double-double effort with 11 digs to go along with her 21-kill barrage.

Middle blocking duo Jessica Wagner and Meagan Burke ravaged the Argos for 10 and seven kills respectively, each swinging at a blistering .450+ clip. The tandem was a force at the net as junior Burke blocked six attacks (three solo) while Wagner stopped five. The team totaled 13 in the win with an impressive seven solo blocks.

Right side Marissa Lisenbee blasted 11 kills for Tampa as setter Kahley Patrick set the team to a .302 attack percentage, spinning 45 assists to go along with eight digs.

UWF's middle corps led its offense, as Lindsey Homme and Jenny Bellairs amassed 15 and 14 kills respectively while Colleen Starrs paced the defense with 20 digs. Outside hitter Sarah Scott posted double-digit kills with an 11-kill outing.

The Argonauts took the first set by a 25-17 score as Homme planted five kills to open up play. Whaley mirrored with her own five kill showing despite the dropping the first stanza.

Outside hitter Whaley continued to dominate the match as she torched UWF for an errorless seven kills to even the match at 1-1. Junior Burke grounded four kills in the 25-20 second set win.

Tampa stifled West Florida in the third frame as the Spartans never surrendered the lead, winning 25-12. Cape Coral, Fla. native Wagner picked up three blocks in the third set.

Whaley outdueled Bellairs of UWF in the fourth set, as the two traded points in the 25-23 UT win. The two totaled seven kills for their respective squads as Tampa rode that momentum to the program's 16th south region crown.

Tampa will face familiar foe Concordia, St. Paul in the NCAA Division II Quarterfinals, game time set for 6 p.m. eastern standard time. Visit www.tampaspartans.com for complete information regarding the tournament.

NCAA Division II South Region Tournament Page

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2013 NCAA South Regional All-Tournament Team
Camille Indest, Rollins
Kelly Merideth, Rollins
Kayshia Brady, Florida Southern
Catherine Brusie, Florida Southern
Abby Timmer, West Florida
Lindsey Homme, West Florida
Sarah Scott, West Florida
Berkley Whaley, Tampa
Kahley Patrick, Tampa
Jessica Wagner, Tampa
Marissa Lisenbee, Tampa
Meagan Burke, Tampa