November 1, 2014

Saint Leo Falls to No. 1 Spartans in Straight Sets

Box Score
Box score
SAINT LEO, Fla. - Wrapping up another weekend of Sunshine State Conference action, the No. 1 University of Tampa Spartans volleyball team (23-1, 11-0 SSC) defeated the Saint Leo Lions (18-9, 7-5 SSC) in straight sets, Saturday afternoon from the Marion Bowman Center on the campus of Saint Leo.

The 3-0 sweep (28-26, 25-21, 25-15) signals Tampa's 47th-consecutive Sunshine State Conference victory, a school and conference record that dates back to 2011.

Both teams took the court thirsty for victory, and the first set was a battle on each side of the court. Playing nearly point for point, the Spartans finally broke away late in the set to drive home a 28-26 victory. With the score in their favor, the pace was set, as No. 1 Tampa cruised through the next two sets to a 3-0 win.

Much like Friday night's performance, junior All-American Berkley Whaley led all players in kills for the match, recording 15 and earning a .414 attack average. Junior Marissa Lisenbee, who maintained a .357 attack average on the afternoon, followed her lead with 13 kills. Junior middle blocker Jessica Wagner tacked on ten of her own.

Senior Meghan Burke, who led the No. 1 Spartans in attacking with a .455 average, scorched six kills in the victory, an effort that was matched by junior Megan Heffron.
As per usual, senior setter Kahley Patrick was the guiding force behind the Spartans' offense in the match, registering 46 assists in just three sets. She currently leads the Sunshine State Conference in assists per set, and ranks fifth in the nation.

Patrick also took on defensive responsibilities in the match, leading all players with 16 digs, and it was senior Meghan Burke who led the Spartans at the net, registering three blocks on the evening.

The Spartans will compete again on Wednesday, Nov. 5 when they host the Eckerd College Tritons for a midweek Sunshine State Conference contest. The match is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. from the Martinez Center on the campus of the University of Tampa.

Live stats will be made available through www.tampaspartans.com.

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