No. 1 Spartans Improve to 25-1 With Sweep of Florida Tech

MELBOURNE, Fla. - The No. 1 University of Tampa volleyball team (25-1, 13-0 SSC) defeated the Florida Tech Panthers (9-19, 1-12 SSC) by a 3-0 score (25-18, 26-24, 25-20) in Friday's night road contest.

The triumph marks Tampa's 49th-consecutive Sunshine State Conference victory, a school and conference record that dates back to 2011, while improving their overall record to 25-1 on the year.

Junior middle blocker Jessica Wagner led the way for the Spartans in the match, earning an attack percentage of .733 and coming just one kill short of her career high with 11. She recorded two blocks in the victory.

Junior outside hitter Berkley Whaley was an additional spark for the Tampa offense, rallying for 12 kills on the evening. The All-American also recorded nine digs and two blocks in the effort.

Senior middle blocker Meagan Burke was also a key contributor for the Spartans, swatting 9 kills at a .538 clip.

The guiding hand behind the offense in the victory was again Kahley Patrick. The Spartans' senior setter recorded 37 assists in the win, giving her 1,050 on the season thus far.

Defensively, the No. 1 Tampa Spartans held Florida Tech to just a .090 attack percentage on the evening, forcing 24 Panther errors and earning six blocks.

Freshman libero Molly McAlvany led the defensive campaign, registering 14 digs in the three-set sweep. Whaley also earned nine digs in the win, while Patrick tallied eight.

No. 1 Tampa will wrap up weekend play on Saturday, Nov. 8 when they take on the Lynn University Fighting Knights in the Spartans' last regular season road contest this year. The match is slated for 2:00 p.m. from the Fighting Knights' home court in Boca Raton, Fla.

Live stats will be made available through www.tampaspartans.com.

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