Spartans Fall Victim to Upset by Barry

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. - The fifth-ranked University of Tampa volleyball team suffered a 3-1 loss to Barry University. The loss drops the Spartans to 22-3 on the year and 9-2 in Sunshine State Conference play while the Buccaneers are now 12-9 and 4-8 in league play.

The first set remained was a tight battle until UT erased a 10-9 Barry lead with a 5-0 run. The Spartans held their lead while winning eight of the final 13 points to take a 25-18 victory. Barry responded in the second set with a 25-17 victory. The Buccaneers then won the third and fourth sets by respective scores of 25-20 and 25-15.

Melissa Vanderhall led Tampa with a team-high 16 kills as Annalea Warren added 11. Gabriela Saade had 20 assists while Meghan Sherman had 18. Warren also led UT with three of its five service aces.

Camila Saade recorded a team-high 13 digs while Warren and Vanderhall each had seven. Warren also accounted for the lone UT block, a solo effort in the first set. For the match, UT was outhit by a .357 to .182 mark.

The Spartans close out their trip to south Florida with an SSC match at Nova Southeastern on Saturday at 4 p.m. The match will begin at 7 p.m. UT will offer live stats and a webcast through www.tampaspartans.com. Fans may also sign up for eScores through the website, a free service that sends text messages on Spartan athletic events.