Spartans Pave Through Tars in SSC Action

WINTER PARK, Fla. - The No. 4 University of Tampa volleyball team trumped Rollins College 3-0 on Thursday evening in Warden Arena.

The Spartans ascend to an 8-3 overall record with a pristine 3-0 tally in Sunshine State Conference matchups while the hosting Tars fall to 1-9 on the season and 0-3 in SSC play.

The win pushes the UT SSC streak to 55 consecutive conference victories dating back to the 2011 season, an active program record.

Reigning SSC Offensive Player of the Week Marissa Lisenbee ravaged the Tars for 12 kills at a fierce .474 attack percentage. Senior tandem Berkley Whaley and Jessica Wagner added 12 and seven kills, respectively.

Freshman Logan Holanchock paced the defense with 15 digs, adding a pair of service aces, as the Tars were limited to a .085 team attack percentage. Setter Gina Clarke spun 37 assists to tempo the Tampa offense to the tune of a .344 team hitting clip.

Lisenbee torched the Tars for five kills in the opening set as Tampa claimed the frame by a 25-17 score. The senior dominated, hitting at a sizzling .833 attack percentage (5-for-6) while Clarke dished 16 assists in the premier stanza. Senior Megan Heffron and Whaley each grounded four kills to roll Rollins to open the game.

Tampa took the second set after a six-point rally gave the team the lead after trailing 5-10 to the Tars. The Spartans peppered six points to gain the lead as Lisenbee added another five kills to reach double-digits in the second set alone. Whaley bounced another four kills while Holanchock added eight digs to anchor the back row. UT ended the set with a 25-18 score to earn a 2-0 advantage on the match.

Whaley dominated the third set, posting a four-kill stanza as Tampa trounced the Tars 25-11 to conclude the match and take its 55th consecutive conference victory.

UT will continue on the road, meeting future SSC opponent Embry-Riddle on Sept. 26 at 4 p.m. Live stats will be provided through www.tampaspartans.com.

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