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UT Wins NCAA Volleyball Opener

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By MATTHEW POSTINS, Tribune correspondent

Published: November 16, 2007

Updated: 11/16/2007 12:44 am

TAMPA - Tampa's defense at the net and on the backline propelled the top-seeded Spartans past South Carolina-Aiken in the opening round of the NCAA Division II South Region volleyball tournament at the Bob Martinez Sports Center on Thursday.

After the Spartans' 30-23, 30-21, 30-25 victory, Coach Chris Catanach said he was encouraged by how his team won the game. He admitted he'd been riding his team hard the past couple of weeks for what he considered inconsistent play.

"I saw signs I was hoping for," Catanach said. "We wanted to get back to a defensive mentality."

UT (29-2) will face No. 5 seed Lynn in a semifinal match at 7:30 p.m. today.

The Spartans had 10.5 blocks to zero for Aiken (26-5), including three scoring blocks from outside hitter Katelen Dixon. Catanach couldn't remember the last time his Spartans faced an opponent that didn't register a block.

Aiken coach Will Condon had an idea why his team went without a block.

"Before you get to their defense, their serve is so tough and aggressive that it takes away one or two of your hitters," Condon said. "That takes you out of your offensive system."

Moccasins Rally Past Lions In 5 Games

TAMPA - Saint Leo was five points away from ending its 58-match losing streak to Florida Southern. Instead, the Moccasins (25-8) advanced to the NCAA regional semifinals with a 3-2 (25-30, 30-18, 19-30, 30-25, 15-4) come-from-behind victory at the Bob Martinez Sports Center.

"I thought we were in total control of the match," said Saint Leo coach Sam Cibrone. "It all comes down to hitting percentage. ... I would say we let down a little bit."
Florida Southern is now 59-0 against Saint Leo, and has eliminated the Lions from the NCAA Tournament the past two seasons. Beverly Stasis led the Mocs with a season-high 30 kills.

The Lions (24-14) won Games 1 and 3, and led 24-20 in Game 4 before Florida Southern began its comeback. The Mocs won 10 of the final 11 points to keep the streak intact and force a fifth game. The Mocs then finished the match with a 10-0 run, and will face No. 3 Nova Southeastern today at 5 p.m.

Bart O'Connell

UT's Clark Named SSC Player Of The Year

University of Tampa volleyball player Erin Clark was named the Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year on Thursday, the third consecutive Spartan to win the award, and the sixth overall.

Clark was joined on the first team by teammates Katelen Dixon, Alisha Green and Margeaux Sinibaldi.

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