Women's Volleyball | 9/26/2019 11:20:00 AM

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – The 25^th-ranked Barry Buccaneers welcome a familiar foe to the Health & Sports Center on Friday night, when the 2018 NCAA DII National Champion Tampa Spartans and the Bucs face-off for the first time in 2019. The No. 22-ranked Spartans are coming off a 3-1 loss to Saint Leo, who will arrive in The Shores on Saturday afternoon for the second match of the weekend. 

• The Bucs and the Spartans split the regular season series last year finishing the year as Co-SSC Champions. Each team earned a road win in each others home court. Barry beat the Spartans in Tampa for the first time since October 2^nd, 2004. However, the Spartans would get the best of the Bucs in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
• Tampa is returning a pair of All-Americans from last year. Junior Katie McKiel, was named to the first-team, while junior Sorrel Houghton was named to the second-team.
• The Spartans are currently 5-5, but winless away from the Bob Martinez Athletics Center. 

KING OF THE JUNGLE

• Saint Leo is currently tied for first in the SSC sitting at 8-2, 2-0. .
• The Lions opened conference play last weekend with a 3-0 sweep of Florida Southern at home before taking down 13^th-ranked Tampa on the road 3-1.
• Saint Leo and Barry have split the last 10 meetings 5-5 but the Lions have won three of the last five meetings. The Buccaneers snapped the Lions' three-match win streak in the series last season as they swept the Lions.
• An interesting matchup to look out for at the net. The Lions lead the SSC in hitting percentage (.286) and Barry leads the SSC in blocks averaging 2.41 per set