Catanach Reaches 700 Victory Milestone As #1 Tampa Tops Eckerd

St. Petersburg, Fla. - Head Coach Chris Catanach achieved his 700th career victory as the top-ranked University of Tampa volleyball team defeated Eckerd 3-0. The victory improves the Spartans to 14-0 on the season, which marks the best start since 1988 when UT won its first 22 matches.

The victory elevates Catanach to an impressive group, where he ranks as one of 14 coaches in NCAA volleyball history with 700 victories. He also becomes the fourth NCAA II coach to reach the milestone.

The Spartans were led by the offensive duo of Katelen Dixon and Alisha Green, who combined for 27 kills. Dixon led the team with 16 kills, while Green connected on 11 of 17 attempts for a .647 kill percentage. Gabriela Saade led the team with 30 assists while Amy Rumore added 14. Tarah Marinelli, the team's leader in service aces, recorded four of Tampa's eight aces.

Tampa's defense was led by libero Margeaux Sinibaldi, who was the lone Spartan to reach double figures with 10 digs. Stephanie Rivera added a team-high five block assists as UT had eight blocks, compared to three by the Tritons. Neely Thomson started for Tampa and also added three block assists.

With its next four games on the road, Tampa plans to honor Catanach at its next home match on Sunday, October 1 against Florida Tech. That match is scheduled for 4:00 pm. The Spartans next match will be on Friday, September 22 at Nova Southeastern in a 7:00 pm contest.