TAMPA, Fla. – The No. 1 ranked and top seeded Tampa Spartans captured the NCAA South Region Title on Saturday night as they defeated Lynn University, 3-0. Tampa advances to the Elite 8 in Pittsburgh next week looking for its fifth national championship.
The Fighting Knights cap their impressive season at 26-8 overall after advancing to the region championship match for the first time in program history.
Lynn opened the NCAA Tournament as one of 64 teams selected to the field, and after posting 3-1 wins over No. 17 West Florida and Nova Southeastern, it was one of the final 16 teams last standing in 2023 season.
SOUTH REGION ALL-TOURNAMENT SELECTIONS:
Emily Edwards – Setter – Graduate Student
Samantha Wolf – Outside Hitter – Graduate Student
Maria Cecilia Pinho – Right Side – Junior
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Lynn fell by scores of 25-19, 25-21 and 25-22
- Lynn hit just .084 in the three sets and had 33 kills
- Tampa raced out of the gate in the first set by taking an 8-2 lead
- Wolf smacked a kill, while Edwards and graduate
Kenidy Howard posted a block as the Fighting Knights narrowed the gap to 10-7
- The Spartans extended their lead to eight and Cecilia Pinho smacked two late kills to pull the final to 25-19
- Wolf and junior
Aline Olegario posted kills to help Lynn open a 4-2 edge in set two
- Tampa answered with a 10-1 run for a 14-7 lead
- Howard and Wolf smacked kills as part of a 9-2 scoring jolt as Lynn tied the set at 16
- Tampa again answered with a 6-1 run for a 22-17 lead before winning 25-21
- Wolf smacked two kills and Howard added one as the Fighting Knights opened a 5-3 lead in the third set
- Kills from Cecilia Pinho and Wolf and a service ace from junior
Isabella Gentile gave Lynn a 14-10 lead
- Olegario smacked her final kill of the night to give the visitors an 18-15 lead
- Tampa used a 6-1 scoring run for a 22-20 advantage and tacked on the final two points for the 25-22 final
FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS:
- Wolf finished the title match with 10 kills and eight digs
- Cecilia Pinho added eight kills and Olegario had six kills and four blocks
- Edwards handed out 25 assists to go along with nine digs
- Gentile led the Fighting Knights with 17 digs
POSTMATCH QUOTES:
Samantha Wolf … One thing she will miss about Lynn volleyball next season
"The people. Oh my gosh, I love this team so much. I couldn't have asked for better friends or better teammates."
Kenidy Howard … One thing she will miss about Lynn volleyball next season
"I definitely think that of all my years playing volleyball, this has definitely been my favorite team by far. The connections I have been able to make have been unreal. I love each and everyone of these girls as they have made a monumental impact on me and who I am as a person. They have made me a better volleyball player and a better woman."
Kenidy Howard … What are some of the memories she will take from the season
"I think the goofiness our team has. We're always laughing, always smiling and I think that is who we are as Lynn volleyball. We are always having fun and we have relentless energy. I think we have grown so much over the season that even when we get knocked down, we are putting up a good fight."
Samantha Wolf … What are some of the memories she will take from the season
"The way that we finished, rather than the way that we started, I think it's great how we had such a mental turnaround. It showed us that we are capable of anything."
