FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern Sharks Volleyball team was defeated in a five-set heart-breaker by the fourth-ranked Tampa Spartans in Sunshine State Conference play on Saturday evening at the Rick Case Arena.
Records: Nova Southeastern15-5, 6-4 SSC | No. 4 Tampa 13-2, 5-2 SSC
Score: Nova Southeastern 2 | No. 4 Tampa 3
Location: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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- Trailing 4-2 in the opening set, Taylor Stockman started a 6-0 rally for the Sharks, helping give NSU an 8-4 lead over the Spartans. Elizabeth Price added back-to-back kills for the Sharks, in addition to pairing for a block with Olivia Aniol during the run.
- Kills from Kate Mihacevich, Gabrielle Spankus and Brittany Landrum extended the Nova Southeastern advantage to 14-9 over Tampa.
- UT responded with a 4-0 rally, taking a 17-16 lead over the Sharks, but Price spurred a three-point run by NSU, as Nova Southeastern reclaimed the lead at 19-17.
- Mihacevich, Landrum and Stockman all added points late in the set, helping the Sharks seal the 25-20 opening set win over the Spartans
- Olivia Aniol led a 5-1 rally by the Sharks in the second set, as NSU got off to a 7-4 lead.
- NSU and Tampa traded points back-and-forth, putting the score at 13-12 in favor of Nova Southeastern.
- A block from Stockman and Landrum swung the momentum in favor of the Sharks, as NSU began an 8-2 run and gave the Sharks a 21-14 advantage over Tampa.
- Spankus sealed the 25-17 second frame win with a service ace.
- Trailing 10-5, Mihacevich tallied four points during a 6-1 rally for the Sharks and tied the third set at 11-11
- Price sparked a 6-2 run for NSU, which also featured a pair of points from Aniol, as Nova Southeastern took a 20-17 lead over Tampa
- Tampa closed the third set with four straight points, taking the frame 26-24 over NSU.
- Kills from Mihacevich and Aniol gave NSU an 8-6 lead in the fourth set
- Tampa used an extended run to take the fourth set 25-16 against the Sharks, sending the match to a decisive fifth set.
- The Sharks and Spartans battled back-and-forth throughout the fifth set, with NSU ultimately holding match point once again at 15-14 following a block from Landrum and Spankus
- Tampa won the final set 19-17.
Nova Southeastern takes on Embry-Riddle in Sunshine State Conference action on Tuesday, October 29th, at the Rick Case Arena. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. To stay up-to-date on Sharks Volleyball, be sure to follow on Instagram at NSU_VBall and X at NSU_VB.
