 VOLLEYBALL
TEAM FINISHES SEASON AS NATIONAL RUNNER-UP
PENSACOLA, Fla., - North Alabama’s run through the
post-season came to an end in the championship match of the NCAA
Division II finals Saturday evening at the UWF Field House in
Pensacola, Fla. Top-ranked Tampa claimed its first national
championship with a 30-25, 27-30, 30- 21, 30-17 victory over the
Lions, ending the nation’s longest winning streak in the process.
Five hitters reached double digits in kills as the Spartans used a
balanced attack that UNA had been known for throughout its
post-season run. Katelen Dixon led the way for Tampa with 16 kills
and 19 digs.
“They (Tampa) did everything extremely well tonight,” said UNA head
coach Stephanie Radecki. “They blocked, passed and hit great, while
we didn’t execute very well. We you don’t execute against a great
team like Tampa, they will make you pay.”
After dropping the first game, the Lions responded to win the second
contest. After the 10-minute break between games two and three,
however, the Spartans were unstoppable.
“I though they (UNA) had us right where they wanted us in both the
first and second games,” said Tampa head coach Chris Catanach. “We
were lucky to win game one, and they just took game two from us. I
think the 10-minute break between games two and three helped a lot.”
In the first game, the Lions took an early 4-1 lead before Tampa
stormed back and kept it close. The score was tied at 21-21 when the
Spartans closed the game on a 9-4 run.
Both teams played solid defense in the second game as neither squad
hit above the .200 mark. Nilcia Oliveira led the defensive effort in
the second stanza with eight digs. UNA held a slim 20-19 before
pulling away down the stretch.
Following the break, UNA had three service errors, three reception
errors and five hitting errors in the third contest opening the door
for Tampa’s 30-21 win. A 13-5 run by the Spartans broke open a close
game and put UT on top 20-10. The Lions would get no closer than six
point the rest of the way.
The Spartans led from start to finish in the fourth-and-final game.
An 8-0 run midway through, gave Tampa a 20-9 lead and the Lions
never challenged again.
“We didn’t play like ourselves, but they deserved to win tonight,
said UNA senior setter Laura Bellinger. “They are a great team. Our
strength all year has been to find holes in teams, but tonight it
was tough finding those holes.”
Bellinger had 39 assists for the match and was named to the
championship all-tournament team. She was joined by Oliveira and
Megan Stout, who each had 11 kills in the finals. Kasie Spencer
added eight kills on the night and also received all-tournament
honors.
Defensively, Ashley Hill had 23 digs for the match, finishing the
season with a school-record 598. She also set new UNA records for
digs per game in a season with 5.44 and a career with 4.92.
Oliveira was the team’s only double-double with 12 digs to go along
with her 11 kills. Jessica Hansen rounded out UNA’s top defenders
with 10 digs on the night.
Match
40 - Tampa (NCAA Tournament)- Printable Match Statistics
Photo: Matt McKean / Times Daily
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