Tampa earns its 20th-Consecutive Postseason Bid

INDIANAPOLIS – Making its 20^th-consecutive postseason appearance, the No. 3 University of Tampa volleyball team earned the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Division II South Region Tournament, as announced by the NCAA on Monday.

The Spartans enter postseason play with a 26-5 record, boasting a Sunshine State Conference best 15-1 mark.  Head coach Chris Catanach has led Tampa to 30 postseason appearances during his 31 seasons at the helm of the program.  The storied coach sits two wins shy of his career 1000^th victory, a milestone that could be reached in the regional tournament.

Tampa will meet familiar foe Eckerd College in the South Region Quarterfinals, facing the Tritons for the third time this season.  UT took both contests in 3-1 fashion as senior Marissa Lisenbee was the offensive catalyst in both matches.

Earning the No. 1 seed and hosting duties for the tournament is No. 13 Palm Beach Atlantic, as the Sailfish will host for the first time in program history.  PBA will battle the automatic qualifier from the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Kentucky State.

Fellow Sunshine State Conference opponents, Saint Leo and Florida Southern each earned a berth in the tournament as No. 4 seeded SLU Lions will face-off against the fifth-seeded West Florida Argonauts. FSC was tabbed as the No. 3 seed and will meet Gulf South Conference Tournament winner North Alabama (No. 6) to round out the south region field.

Tampa defeated Palm Beach Atlantic in the 2014 South Region Final, besting the Sailfish by a 3-1 match.  The Spartans built momentum from the win and took the 2014 NCAA Division II National Championship for the second crown in program history.

The winner of the region will trek to Tampa, Fla., as the Spartans will host the victors of each of the eight regions to crown the national champion.

Tampa will face Eckerd College on Thursday, Dec. 3 with the time to be determined by the hosting institution.  The entire regional will be played in Rubin Arena on the West Palm Beach, Fla. campus of Palm Beach Atlantic University.  Live stats will be made available through www.tampaspartans.com.

Click here for the complete NCAA release

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