Whaley Notches Fourth SSC Player of the Week Honor
Senior Berkley Whaley was named SSC Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts against Florida Tech and Florida Southern. The outside hitter picks up her third defensive honor while earning the offensive award to start the season.
MELBOURNE, Fla. – After leading the No. 8 University of Tampa volleyball team to its 25th Sunshine State Conference crown, senior outside hitter Berkley Whaley was named SSC Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts in guiding the Spartan defense as announced Monday by the conference office.
Whaley garners her third defensive honor of the season and her fourth Player of the Week award of her senior campaign. The reigning SSC Player of the Year has earned an astounding 14 Player of the Week awards across her storied career at UT.
The St. Petersburg, Fla. native anchored the Spartan defense with a team-high 29 digs in two matches this past week. In a 3-1 win over Florida Tech, Whaley spun her 16th double-double behind 16 kills and a match-high 15 digs. The outside hitter added a pair of blocks to aid in limiting the Panthers to a .118 attack percentage.
The outside hitter was instrumental in the 3-0 sweep of No. 17 Florida Southern College, adding another match-high 14 digs to limit the Mocs to a .053 attack percentage.
On serve-receive, Whaley committed a single reception error in 45 total chances for a .978 reception percentage. Whaley averaged 4.14 digs per set to limit foes to a combined .091 attack clip with just 8.43 kills per set.
The senior has been a stalwart presence in the Spartan lineup, ranking second on the team in digs with 318 through 28 matches this season. In 445 targets, Whaley has a .967 reception percentage on serve receive as one of Tampa's most reliable passers.
UT will conclude its regular season with a pair of home contests, the first being a Thursday night grudge match against Lynn University. The 7 p.m. contest will feature live stats as well as a live video webcast that will be available through www.tampaspartans.com.
Click here for the complete SSC Player of the Week release
Fans may follow University of Tampa athletics on Twitter (www.twitter.com/tampaspartans) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/tampaspartans). UT also offers a free text messaging service that sends text alerts following all Spartan events. To sign up, please register at www.tampaspartans.com.