HOOVER, Ala. – The University of Tampa volleyball team finished out the GSC/SSC Crossover with a pair of games against Auburn University at Montgomery and the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Following the pair of 3-0 victories, the Spartans now sit at 14-6 for the season.

HOW IT HAPPENED GAME ONE:

The Spartans were first on the board against the Warhawks as Mackenzie Dufresne put away a set from Sammy Mueller. Tampa would be in control of the set as they were the first to 15, having a 15-5 lead. The Tampa offense would continue to dominate the set as they won 25-11.

AUM would score first in the second set, but that lead was short-lived, as the Spartans scored back-to-back points. Tampa would again build a big lead as they were up by seven when they reached the 15-point mark. UT would then close the set out on a seven to one run, taking set two 25-15.

Tampa would score the first three sets of the final set, as they led the entire way. Auburn-Montgomery was able to pull within three points at 9-6 but the Spartans would pull away again. The Spartans would score the final three points of the set, as they closed out the match with a 25-16 victory.

INSIDE THE STATS GAME ONE:

• Katie McKiel led the way for the Spartans as she finished the game with 14 kills.
• Kamari Potter finished the game with seven kills and swung at a .538 percentage.
• Melissa Elias recorded a double-double, as she recorded 12 assists and 10 digs. She also swung at a .467 percentage with eight kills.
• Nicole Dominguez also added 10 digs for the Spartans.
• Sammy Mueller finished the game with 19 assists.
• As a team, Tampa held Auburn-Montgomery to a -.049 percentage.

HOW IT HAPPENED GAME TWO:

In the opening set of the final match of the weekend, the Spartans raced out to an early 7-0 lead over the Chargers. UAH was able to cut the lead down to four at 8-4, but the Spartans would go on another run to take a 13-5. advantage. The Spartans would continue to hold the advantage throughout the set, winning the set by a final of 25-15.  

The second set was tighter than the first set, as the two teams were even throughout. The two teams were tied on 11 separate occasions with the latest coming at 18 all. The Spartans then used a three-point run to take a 21-18 lead over the Chargers and ended up taking the set by a final score of 25-21.

In the third set, the Chargers held an early lead over the Spartans, as they were up 9-7. After the score was all tied up at 11, UT would go on a run, as they would go on to score six of the next seven points to take a 17-12 advantage. Tampa would not look back as they ended out the Crossover with a 25-17 victory.

INSIDE THE STATS GAME TWO:

• Sorrel Houghton led the way for the Spartans as she finished with 15 kills and hit at a .407 percentage
• Nicole Dominguez finished with 11 digs.
• Sarah Luoma ended the game with a .429 hitting percentage, as she recorded seven kills.
• Sammy Mueller paced Tampa again with 28 assists in the victory. 

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Tampa is now 2-0 all-time against Auburn-Montgomery.
• The Spartans improved their record against the Chargers to 5-1.
• This is the first time the Spartans have swept all three matches of the crossover since the 2016 season.
• UT extended their win streak in the Crossover to 24 games.

UP NEXT

The Spartans will return to action on Tuesday as they go back to Sunshine State Conference play. Tampa will be hitting the road as they will face the Saint Leo University Lions.

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