Andy SullivanOn Sunday, Oct. 1 the Spartans bounced back from their first loss of the season with a 3-0 sweep against the Florida Tech Panthers. It was an easy win for Tampa as they controlled from beginning to end.
The win was an important one as the team came off their first loss of the season against #5 Florida Southern.
“It was an important win for us,” said head coach Chris Catanach. “We had to deal with the emotions of a big loss, and I think we did a good job.”
The team was led by middle blocker Alisha Green and outside hitter Stephanie Rivera who recorded 12 kills a piece. As a team, the Spartans had an impressive hitting percentage of .352. As overpowering as they were offensively, they were equally dominating on defense, holding Florida Tech to a paltry .021 hitting percentage. It is this combination of explosive offense and impressive defense that have earned the Spartans their number one ranking.
The game was the first home game for the Spartans since mid-September. The crowd was extremely energetic throughout the entire contest.
In the first game, Tampa hit their lowest percentage of the day at just .182. They were still able to win easily with three serve aces from libero Margeaux Sinibaldi and two from Rivera. Green also contributed with key blocks.
The team rolled to an easy 30-15 win. In the second game, the Spartans displayed their impressive offensive ability with a .471 hitting percentage.
Setters Amy Rumore and Gabriela Saade consistently set up scoring opportunities for their teammates. Rumore finished the game with 22 assists while Saade had 11 of her own. Tampa won the second game by a score of 30-10. In the third game, Florida Tech gave Tampa a little bit more of a challenge but not enough to win a game. The Spartans took the game by a score of 30-21.
The win gets Tampa back on track to get another championship.
“We can still accomplish what we want to accomplish,” said Coach Catanach. “We have 15 championships, and I’d like to get 16.”
The next game for Tampa is Wednesday, Oct. 4 at Rollins College. The team returns home Thursday, Oct. 5 to face St. Leo University.