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© St. Petersburg Times, published October 18, 2002
TAMPA -- It began Oct. 4 in Miami Shores.
Trailing two games to one during the fourth game of a key five-game match against Sunshine State Conference rival Barry, the University of Tampa volleyball team rallied to win the last two games and the match. And the Spartans haven't lost since.
Not a match. Not even a game.
The streak includes five matches. Throw in the rally at Barry two weeks ago and UT has won 17 consecutive games.
Along the way, the Spartans have beaten Lynn, Eckerd, Armstrong Atlantic (Ga.), St. Thomas and Nova Southeastern. More important, UT has positioned itself for another SSC crown and a high region ranking.
UT is atop the SSC at 5-0 and 13-6 overall.
The Spartans, ranked 17th nationally, also own the top seed in the South Region. That would mean the Spartans would host the South Region tournament if they can hold on to that ranking for another six weeks.
But before the region tournament, which tips off Nov. 21, UT must play at Armstrong Atlantic (ranked third in the region) on Saturday, Florida Southern (ranked fifth in the region) on Friday, North Florida (second in the region) on Oct. 29 and Barry (fourth in the region) on Nov. 9.
In other words, the South Region poll could change completely by Nov. 21. Unless of course, UT continues its stellar play.
Hitters Ania Ruiz, Tiffany Boatwright, Amber Langston and Ericka Womack have contributed during the streak, but it was junior hitter Kristen Richardson who came up big last week.
Richardson averaged 3.2 kills and 1.5 blocks per outing in 10 games. She had 12 kills against Armstrong Atlantic, 14 against St. Thomas and a league-best .667 attack percentage. For her efforts, Richardson was named conference co-player of the week.
CROSS COUNTRY: Liz Bragg's personal best 18 minutes, 25.10 seconds not only led the Spartans and earned her a third-place finish among individuals, it also helped UT win the women's race at the Disney Invitational on Oct. 12 in Kissimmee.
The time also earned Bragg conference runner of the week honors.
The team, which won the 30-team race with four runners in the top 15, also got solid performances from Erin Wilson, Dee Dee Haefling and Allison Mascas. Wilson was sixth in 18:51, Haefling was seventh in 18:52 and Mascas was 15th in 19:33.
UT topped second-place UCF by 32 points.
On the men's side, UT was fourth among 27 teams after Elias Gonzalez placed third in 25:13.40.
The men's and women's teams will compete at the Eckerd College meet Saturday.
WOMEN'S SOCCER: After scoring two winning goals in one week, Sarah McTurk has been named conference offensive player of the week.
McTurk, a senior forward, scored the winner in the 66th minute in the Spartans' 3-1 win against Saint Leo on Oct. 9. She also netted the winning goal three days later in a 2-0 victory against Florida Southern.
UT, in third place in the SSC at 4-2 and 5-6 overall, plays at undefeated Barry today. The Buccaneers (5-0 SSC, 13-0 overall) are ranked fifth nationally and second in the South Region.
The Spartans follow that game with a matchup at Lynn on Sunday.
MEN'S SOCCER: Mired in a three-game losing streak, the Spartans' postseason hopes might be slipping away.
The defending NCAA Division II champions haven't won in two weeks and have been outscored 9-2. The Spartans, 1-2 in the SSC and 3-6-1 overall, are two games behind conference leaders Lynn and Barry in the standings with four league games left on the schedule.
UT hosts Thomas (Ga.) College today.