Category: Sports

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Kiira Riihijarvi started her senior season with the same success she has enjoyed the last three years with a first-place finish at the Lady Falcon Invitational.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
UT Finish: 1st, 912 strokes, +48 (307-305-300)
Team Champion: Tampa
Host: Daytona State College
Location: LPGA International – Hills Course | Daytona Beach, Fla.
Total Rounds: 3
Follow Us: @TampaSpartans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube

TOP SPARTAN PERFORMERS:

OTHER NOTABLES:

• This marks the seventh individual title for three-time All-American Riihijarvi.
• Riihijarvi was the top Spartan in all three rounds.
• Montagnino and Cadavid were also in the top-10.
• Head coach Missey Jones also registered freshman Jelena Lainovic, who was 38th with a three-round score of 253.
• A total of eight teams competed.
• UT was joined by runner-up Florida Southern and Embry-Riddle (5) from the Sunshine State Conference.

UP NEXT:
The Spartans return to action on October 6-8 at the Nova Southeastern Invitational in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

TAMPA SPARTANS MOBILE APP:
A free app is also available for free download through Apple and Google Play stores. Please search for Tampa Spartans Front Row.

RECEIVE TEXT AND EMAIL ALERTS:
UT also offers free messaging service for text and/or email, which sends alerts and press releases for Spartan teams. To sign up, please register at www.tampaspartans.com.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Tampa women’s cross country team competed among the state’s top teams at the University of Florida Mountain Dew Invitational, finishing first among non-Division I schools.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
UT Finish: 1st, 107 points
Overall Champion: Florida, 30 points
Overall Champion (Non-D1): Tampa, 30 points
Location: Freedom Park | Gainesville, Fla
Host Institution: University of Florida
Distance: 5K
Follow Us: @TampaSpartans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube

TOP SPARTAN PERFORMERS:

OTHER NOTABLES:

• Jarvis was the top Spartan for the first time in 2019. This is the first race of the season for the junior.
• Reigning Sunshine State Conference Runner of the Week Gordon was top-10 and the second Spartan to cross the finish line.
• A total of 35 teams competed.
• Joining UT from the Sunshine State Conference was Embry-Riddle (3), Saint Leo (5), Florida Southern (6), Nova Southeastern (8), Palm Beach Atlantic (9), Lynn (11), Florida Tech (17) and Rollins (23).
• Tampa entered a total of 11 runners in the women’s race.

UP NEXT:
Tampa’s B team heads Lakeland on Friday, September 27 for the Florida Runners Invite while the top eight will travel to Sacramento, Calif., for the Pre-Nationals on Saturday, Sept. 28.

TAMPA SPARTANS MOBILE APP:
A free app is also available for free download through Apple and Google Play stores. Please search for Tampa Spartans Front Row.

RECEIVE TEXT AND EMAIL ALERTS:
UT also offers free messaging service for text and/or email, which sends alerts and press releases for Spartan teams. To sign up, please register at www.TampaSpartans.com.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Tampa men’s cross country team competed among the state’s top teams at the University of Florida Mountain Dew Invitational, finishing fifth among non-Division I schools.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
UT Finish: 5th, 195 points
Overall Champion: Florida, 40 points
Overall Champion (Non-D1): Embry-Riddle, 142 points
Location: Freedom Park | Gainesville, Fla
Host Institution: University of Florida
Distance: 8K
Follow Us: @TampaSpartans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube

TOP SPARTAN PERFORMERS:

OTHER NOTABLES:

• Kattenberg was the top Spartan for the second time in 2019.
• A total of 31 teams competed.
• Joining UT and non-D1 champion Embry-Riddle from the Sunshine State Conference was Saint Leo (2), Florida Southern (4), Lynn (9), Palm Beach Atlantic (10), Florida Tech (13), Nova Southeastern (15)
• Tampa entered a total of 11 runners in the men’s race.

UP NEXT:
Tampa’s B team heads Lakeland on Friday, September 27 for the Florida Runners Invite while the top eight will travel to Sacramento, Calif., for the Pre-Nationals on Saturday, Sept. 28.

TAMPA SPARTANS MOBILE APP:
A free app is also available for free download through Apple and Google Play stores. Please search for Tampa Spartans Front Row.

RECEIVE TEXT AND EMAIL ALERTS:
UT also offers free messaging service for text and/or email, which sends alerts and press releases for Spartan teams. To sign up, please register at www.TampaSpartans.com.

DENVER, Colo. – The No. 1-ranked University of Tampa volleyball team dropped a pair of matches in day one of the annual Colorado Premier Classic, falling in five sets to No. 20 Texas A&M University at Commerce and being swept by co-host Regis University.

HOW IT HAPPENED MATCH ONE

UT appeared to be in control as it took the first two games against Texas A&M-Commerce. After taking a 27-25 win in the opening game, Tampa won the second by a 25-13 score. The Lions fought back to win a pivotal third set by a 26-24 score followed by a 25-21 and 15-8 win to secure the upset of the defending national champions. Hitting .235 and .320 in the first two sets, Tampa hit just .095, .125 and .188 respectively in the final three sets.

HOW IT HAPPENED MATCH TWO

The host Rangers continued their dominating play after sweeping Texas A&M-Commerce to remain undefeated on the season. Following a two-point victory in both the first and second sets, Regis clinched the three-set sweep with a dominating showing in a 25-6 set three win. The Spartans hit -.375 in the third set while the Rangers posted a .389 clip. The front-line for Regis registered a dominating 14 blocks, compared to just three for the Spartans.

INSIDE THE STATS

MATCH ONE

• Katie McKiel returned to her home state and posted a team-high 19 kills. She also notched 13 digs and four blocks for the Spartans.
• Sorrel Houghton was in double figures with 10 kills.
• Middle hitter Kamari Potter hit .500 with nine kills. She also led the Spartans with five blocks.
• Senior Nicole Dominguez had a team-high 16 digs to go with a pair of service aces.

MATCH TWO

• McKiel led the way with nine kills.
• The defense was led by sophomore Claudia Rivera‘s 11 digs.
• Sarah Luoma was 4-for-7 on attacks with a .571 hitting percentage.
• Freshman Mackenzie Dufresne turned in a team-high two blocks.

 BEYOND THE BOXSCORE

• Tampa has now met three nationally-ranked opponents in 2019, going 2-1 with wins over No. 17 Central Missouri and No. 5 Concordia-St. Paul.
• The Spartans are now 4-2 on the year.
• UT returned to the Premier for the first time since 2017 after not attending last season.

UP NEXT

UT will close the Colorado Premier with a pair of matches on Saturday. The Spartans will face No. 11 Ferris State at 11 a.m., followed by co-host Metro State at 7 p.m. Both times are Eastern.

TAMPA SPARTANS MOBILE APP:
A free app is also available for free download through Apple and Google Play stores. Please search for Tampa Spartans Front Row. 

RECEIVE TEXT AN EMAIL ALERTS:
UT also offers free messaging service for text and/or email, which sends alerts and press releases for Spartan teams. To sign up, please register at www.tampaspartans.com.

TAMPA, Fla. – The University of Tampa men’s soccer team opened up the season at home with a four-goal outburst against Flager College. 

MATCHUP:
Final: Tampa 4, Flagler 2 
Records: Tampa Spartans (1-1), Flagler College Saints (0-2)
Location: Pepin Stadium || Tampa, Fla. 
All-time Series: Tampa owns a commanding 13-3-1 lead in the all-time series. In the series dating back to 1976, the teams will meet for the first time since the 2011 season. Flagler won the previous two meetings over the Spartans. Tampa is 11-1 at home against Flagler.
Follow Us: @TampaSpartans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube. 

HOW IT HAPPENED:
1st Half | The match began at a rapid pace as both teams were in attacking formation. In the 6th minute, after a back-and-forth exchange, Julius Becker led Rojay Smith into the 18-yard box. Smith, a senior from Jamaica, slipped in his first goal of the year with a one-touch past the keeper. Flagler’s goalkeeper Andrea Lubbia was able to put a hand on it but the shot was too strong from Smith. In the 39th minute, Luca Abreu used his back-heel to push one past the keeper, however the goal was nullified because of offsides. In the following moments, Abreu was on the end of a cross from Smith and logged the first goal of his career. || UT 2, FC 0

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Rojay Smith tied his career-high with four points in the match, a goal and two assists. Smith previously logged four points in the final game of 2018 against Saint Leo.
• Jake Richards recorded five of his seven saves in the first half. 
• In a physical matchup, the two teams combined for 29 fouls and five yellow cards. 
• Eight different Spartans ripped off a shot as Omar Thali led the team with four total shots. 
• In 2018, the Spartans did not secure a win until the eighth game of the year. This was the second match of the season for UT.

UP NEXT: The Spartans return home to face Clayton State on Saturday afternoon, as kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Pepin Stadium.

Tickets: General Admission ticket prices for all Tampa regular season athletic events are $5. Youth (ages 12 and under) are admitted free of charge. Students and faculty/staff are admitted free with a valid UT ID.

Front Row: Download the official app of UT Athletics on the Apple or Android store. Look for Tampa Spartans Front Row app to receive notifications from your favorite Spartan teams. The app is completely free.