Box Score
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern volleyball team topped Lynn in three straight sets for their first Sunshine State Conference win of the season, 25-22, 25-19, 25-21 at the NSU Arena on Tuesday.
The Sharks (5-13, 1-6 SSC) led wire-to-wire in the first set, without even a tie, as they started out ahead 3-0 and were eventually up by as many as five. They withstood a Lynn (15-9, 2-5 SSC) rally midway through the set, and won it on a
Sydney Cook (So., Miami) kill after the Fighting Knights had it cut to two.
This became a bit of a theme throughout the night, as Cook led the Sharks with 13 kills and hit for a .346 percentage. She had five kills in the opening frame and four each in the second and third.
The second frame was the most highly-contested of the night, with 13 ties and four lead changes. Lynn matched their biggest lead of the match at 17-15, but a Cook kill and two straight aces by
Sakkara Hart (Fr., Vero Beach, Fla.) gave the Sharks an advantage they wouldn't relinquish at 18-17.
Setter
Katie Pyles (Fr., Denver) kept the spurt going with a kill, and after an attack error by the Fighting Knights,
Caitlin Donahue (So., Miami) notched two straight kills of her own. It was a 7-0 Shark run, and a 22-17 lead.
The teams swapped points twice, making it 24-19, but
Samantha High (Sr., Naples, Fla.) ended the set with one of her five kills of the night for a 25-19 set win.
The third frame, like the first, never saw the Sharks trail, but there were four ties, mostly late. NSU was up 4-1 to start, and eventually 13-6 to force a Lynn timeout.
The Fighting Knights got four straight to cut it to 13-10, and after two NSU points, scored five in a row for the first tie at 15-15.
It was tied as well at 16-16 and 17-17, but the Sharks rebounded with three straight (a kill by Cook, an ace from Pyles and a Lynn attack error). Again the Fighting Knights called timeout, and again, they responded, this time with three consecutive for the night's final tie at 20-20.
After an NSU timeout, the Sharks ended the set and match by scoring five of the last six points. The last two came on kills from
Dana Holger (So., Lino Lakes, Minn.), as part of her team-high five in the set. NSU hit .344 as a squad in the final frame, with 15 kills against only four errors.
Cook's 13 kills were the night's best, followed on the Shark side by Holger's seven, and Donahue and High with five each. Donahue's .364 hit percentage was her best of the season.
The NSU serving game was on point all night with nine aces. Hart had a game- and career-high four, with Pyles and
Candice Johnson (Jr., Chuluota, Fla.) each adding two, and one coming from
Laurel Weaver (Fr., Woodland Hills, Calif). Pyles also assisted on 32 of the team's 37 kills.
Defensively, Johnson paced all players with 12 digs, with Holger adding seven, and five apiece coming from Cook and Pyles.
The Sharks are back in action at the NSU Arena this Saturday afternoon, Oct. 26, against Saint Leo. First serve is at 4 p.m.
For the latest NSU news and results, be sure to visit
www.NSUSharks.com. To have results sent directly to your cell phone via text message, sign up for SMS text message delivery by
clicking here. For the latest news, be sure to sign up for the Shark Alert E-newsletter by
clicking here.
