TAMPA, Fla. – The Eckerd volleyball team pushed No. 3 Tampa in a tightly-contested four-set battle before falling 3-1 (28-26, 25-23, 17-25, 25-21) on Tuesday night at the Bob Martinez Athletics Center.

The opening set was a back-and-forth affair, with the Tritons battling the Spartans into extra points before narrowly falling 28-26. Eckerd continued to challenge Tampa in the second frame, but the Spartans edged the Tritons 25-23 to take a two-set advantage.

Eckerd responded emphatically in the third set, jumping ahead 6-2 and extending its lead to 14-6 behind a strong serving stretch from Lilli Weber. The Tritons maintained control throughout the frame, cruising to a 25-17 victory to extend the match.

The fourth set remained competitive early before Tampa built a 19-13 advantage. Eckerd rallied with four consecutive points to pull within two at 19-17, but the Spartans held on for a 25-21 victory.

Hayden Nash led the Tritons with 12 kills on a .458 hitting percentage while adding seven blocks, including five solo stops. Jaelynn Tunley followed with 10 kills and 10 digs, while Kaitlyn Dohs contributed eight kills and 17 digs. Weber dished out 31 assists to go along with 21 digs and three aces, while Sydney Williams anchored the defense with 22 digs.