Spartans Ready To Host Saint Leo In SSC Action

TAMPA, Fla. - With just five games remaining on the 2010 season, the third-ranked University of Tampa Spartans volleyball team will host the Saint Leo University Lions in a Sunshine State Conference match on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in the Bob Martinez Sports Center.

The Spartans hold a 21-3 record overall and a 10-1 mark in conference play this season and have won their last 11 matches. Tampa continued its streak with a 3-0 victory over rival Florida Southern College this past Saturday, capping off a perfect month of October going 10-0.

UT features a balanced team with a .289 hitting percentage and rank eighth in the nation in blocks per set at 2.43.

Two-time SSC Player of the Year and AVCA All-American Melissa Vanderhall leads the squad with 229 kills, followed by fellow All-American Kaleigh Cunningham with 209. Sophomore Danielle Selkridge is fifth in the country with a .413 attack percentage and is second on the team to Sam Macks (73) with 64 blocks this season.

Senior setter Meghan Sherman, the team's third returning All-American, is enjoying her best offensive season with 67 kills at a .480 rate. She currently checks in at 12th in the nation in assists per set with 11.13 and has accumulated 961 assists on the year.

The Lions, who earned a share of the conference title with Tampa a year ago, enter Tuesday's match with a 12-12 record and a 7-6 mark in the SSC. SLU dropped back-to-back matches to Rollins and Florida Southern over the weekend, being swept in both contests.

SLU is led up front by a combination of Celeste Bonter and Bruna Rocha with 268 and 252 kills, respectively. That same duo has also anchored the Saint Leo defense as Rocha leads the team with 331 digs, followed by 265 from Bonter. Freshman Jaclyn Mailoto has taken over as the primary setter for the Lions and has totaled 503 assists in her rookie year.

The Spartans won the first meeting between the two teams back on Sept. 28 at Saint Leo in straight sets. Overall, UT holds a 59-1 record in the all-time series with the only loss coming last season at home.

Tickets for the contest are $5 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens. UT students, along with kids 12 and under, receive free admission.

Live stats will be available through www.tampaspartans.com. Fans may also follow University of Tampa athletics on Twitter (www.twitter.com/utspartans) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/tampaspartans). UT also offers blAst, a free text messaging service that sends text alerts following all Spartan events. To sign up, please register at www.tampaspartans.com.