FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Following two consecutive seasons in which Nova Southeastern Volleyball has reached the NCAA Tournament, the Sharks, under the direction of Head Coach Kacie Ehinger, are looking to take the next step during the 2023 season. NSU returns much of its roster from the 2022 season, including a trio of All-Sunshine State Conference performers in Taylor Stockman, Kate Mihacevich and Olivia Aniol.
Nova Southeastern begins its 2023 season hosting the Shark Invitational, where NSU will take on Seton Hill (PA.) on September 1st, before matching up with Dominican (NY.) and Bentley (MA.) on September 2nd. Following the season opening weekend, the Sharks compete in a second tournament, where they will play against Maryville (MO.) on September 8th, Rockhurst (MO.) and Wheeling (WV.) on September 9th.
“I’m really excited to get the 2023 season underway,” said Ehinger. “We’ve set up a challenging preseason schedule in order to prepare us for the rigors of the Sunshine State Conference Schedule”
Following the back-to-back weekends in tournament play, the Sharks start Sunshine State Conference action at the Rick Case Arena against Lynn (9/15) and Barry (9/16). A mid-week tilt against Palm Beach Atlantic awaits NSU on September 19th, before returning to the Shark Tank for a match against Embry-Riddle (9/23).
Nova Southeastern then embarks on their longest road trip of the 2023 campaign, taking on five Sunshine State Conference rivals beginning with Tampa (9/29), before facing off against Florida Southern (9/30), Eckerd (10/6), Saint Leo (10/7) and closing the trip versus Barry (10/10).
NSU hosts Florida Tech (10/13) and Rollins (10/14), closing out their first half of the season prior to the South Region Crossover between the SSC and the Gulf South Conference, which takes place on October 20th and October 21st.
After the South Region Crossover, NSU travels to Daytona Beach, taking on Embry-Riddle (10/27). The Sharks host five consecutive home matches to begin their playoff push, hosting Palm Beach Atlantic (10/31), Florida Southern (11/3), Tampa (11/4), Saint Leo (11/10), and the final home match of the 2023 season is on November 11th, when Nova Southeastern hosts Eckerd. The final three matches of the campaign are against Lynn (11/14), Rollins (11/17) and the season finale is on November 18th at Florida Tech.
In total, the Nova Southeastern Sharks return 11 players from the 2022 season, as Nyah Pacely, Jordan Chessar, Kate Mihacevich, Brittany Landrum, Taylor Stockman, Madison Cook, Elizabeth Price, Avery Piatt, Julia Bernades, Olivia Aniol, and Juliana Imbuzeiro make their comeback for the Sharks. NSU also welcomes Maddy Hooper, Kendall Jurgens, Emma Ehmann, Marley Navaretta, Nadia Lindner, Jaden Daffer, Varshini Panuganti, Ella Kern and Gabrielle Spankus, into the fold.
“We have a solid group of returners and are excited to welcome a great mix of transfers and freshman to the group,” added Ehinger. “We will have a lot of depth this season and I look forward to competing every day with this group, GO SHARKS!”
Stockman, the Sunshine State Conference Freshman of the Year, established herself as a premier player in the league last season. Stockman finished second on the team in kills and points and was also recognized as an AVCA All-American Honorable Mention. In addition, Mihacevich looks to follow up a break-out campaign, in which she led NSU in kills and finished as a Third-Team All-SSC member.
To stay up-to-date on NSU Volleyball, be sure to follow the Sharks on Instagram at NSU_VBall and Twitter at NSU_VB.
