TAMPA, Fla. – The University of Tampa is set to host the Florida Tech Panthers, tomorrow, September 7 in the first conference game of the 2018 season. The match is slated to begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Bob Martinez Athletics Center.

The Match: University of Tampa (7-1, 0-0 SSC) vs. Florida Tech (3-5, 0-0 SSC)

Date/Time: Friday, September 7 at 7 p.m.

Location: Bob Martinez Athletics Center | Tampa, Fla. 

Last Time Out: The University of Tampa defeated the No. 4 Ferris State Bulldogs in a five-set thriller. Junior middle blocker, Taylor Fosler led the Spartans offensively ending the match with 18 kills at a .533 kill percentage. Fosler’s offensive efforts were followed by the sophomore, pin-hitting duo of Katie McKiel and Sorrel Houghton. McKiel ended the match with 17 kills at a .280 kill percentage, while Houghton finished with 13 kills hitting .116. Sammy Mueller served as the team’s primary setter. The Gainesville, Florida native logged a double-double with 49 assists and 14 digs. Nicole Dominguez and Melissa Elias led the Spartans defensively, each with 16 digs.

About the Spartans: Last season Tampa ended with an overall record of 18-14, 13-7 in the Sunshine State Conference. The squad finished their 2017 campaign after being defeated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The University of Tampa women’s volleyball program has made it to the NCAA Tournament for 22 consecutive years, and the team is hungry to make another tournament run this season. Tampa returns all of their starters. They are led offensively by McKiel and Houghton. The pair of outside hitters have already notched over 200 kills in the opening eight games of the season, and both girls are averaging almost four kills per set. As a team the Spartans have an average hitting percentage of .290. Mueller has been the primary setter for the Spartans, leading the team in assists with 337, while junior Dominguez has been suiting up as the team’s starting libero, leading the team in digs with 110.

About the Panthers: The Panthers are currently 3-5 overall, 0-0 in the SSC. Offensively, Florida Tech is led by outside Kelly Germain who has 96 kills with an average kill percentage of .190. The Panthers second greatest offensive threat is Olivia Hersey who has 59 kills averaging 2.68 kills per set. Kiersten Rosa runs the Panthers offense and has logged 238 assists, averaging 8.21 assists per set. Kyra Atkinson leads the team on defense sitting with 115 digs followed by Becca Bower who has 107.

Series History:  Tampa takes the all-time series history against Florida Tech 83-0.

Tickets: General Admission ticket prices for all Tampa regular season athletic events are $5 for adults, Seniors, Military and visiting students. Youth (ages 12 and under) are admitted free of charge. Students, faculty and staff with a valid UT ID will also be admitted free.

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