Whitney AllenThe second-ranked University of Tampa volleyball team (28-1, 14-1 SSC) defeated eighth-ranked Florida Southern College (29-4, 14-1 SSC) in one of the most anticipated top-ten match-ups in recent history. UT defeated the Moccasins three games to one (30-14, 30-26, 23-30, 30-16) in front of 1,145 fans inside the Martinez Center on Friday.
After splitting two matches earlier in the season, the Spartans prevailed in the final regular season contest between the two Sunshine State Conference rivals.
Both teams were hot coming into the game. Tampa was on a 10-match winning streak, and the Mocs had reeled off 10 straight wins as well. Everyone expected a highly competitive game but the Spartans dominated from start to finish.
Katelen Dixon, Erin Clark and Danielle MacDonald led the offensive attack for UT. Dixon and Clark finished the match with 17 kills apiece. MacDonald finished with 16 kills.
UT needed a big match from Dixon, Clark and MacDonald after All-American Stephanie Rivera went down with an injury in the first game. Rivera grabbed her knee after converting on a spike early in the match. She did not return.
Libero Margeaux Sinibaldi had a team high 29 digs in the match. Sinibaldi thought the team played well even without one of their best players.
“It’s hard when you lose someone as talented as Stephanie,” said Sinibaldi. “But I think we showed how much depth we have as a team. We proved that we are not dependent on one player.”
Setter Gabriela Saade had 64 assists in the match. Saade was confident that the team could win even without Rivera.
“I was scared when Stephanie went down,” said Saade. “But Tarah (Marinelli) stepped up and really helped the team. I was confident coming into the game that we would win, and we stayed positive even after Stephanie got hurt.”
Even after the loss of Rivera the crowd seemed upbeat. Sinibaldi and Saade felt the fans played a role in the outcome of the match.
“They were awesome,” said Sinibaldi. “I think the crowd really helped the team. When we traveled to Florida Southern, their fans were very enthusiastic. It’s great that we were able to get the same support.”
“I’m really glad that people came out and cheered for our team,” said Saade. “Everyone did a great job of marketing for the game. I saw flyers all around campus and it really helped bring people to the game.”
Ashley Martin had another strong performance for Florida Southern in the loss. Martin had 15 kills and four digs in the match. She did not receive much help, though. The Moccasins recorded 48 kills in the match and hit just .156 as a team.
Sinibaldi thought that Tampa played one of their best games against a great Florida Southern team.
“I think the changes we made in practice helped,” said Sinibaldi. “Obviously Florida Southern is a great team. But I think we played well, and they didn’t play their best.”
Tampa is now hosting the NCAA Division II South Regional Tournament, which started on Thursday Nov. 9.