FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. – The Nova Southeastern Sharks earned the first Sunshine State Conference victory of the season, defeating Barry in four-sets in a rivalry match on Saturday from the Rick Case Arena. Nadia Lindner (19 kills), Taylor Stockman (15) and Kate Mihacevich (14) led the Sharks to the win. 
Records: Nova Southeastern 5-3, 1-1 SSC | Barry 3-5, 1-1 SSC
Score: Nova Southeastern 3, Barry 1
Location: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Get Social: Instagram – NSU_VBall | X – NSU_VB
- Barry opened the match on a 6-2 run, but the Sharks were able to battle back following three consecutive errors by the Buccaneers.
- The Sharks trailed 12-6 in the opening set, but Nadia Lindner, Taylor Stockman, Olivia Aniol and Varshini Panuganti all recorded points for NSU, as Nova Southeastern rallied to tie the set at 15-15.
- Kate Mihacevich bookended a brief 3-0 run for NSU, recording a kill and a service ace, giving the Sharks a 20-19 lead late in the first set.
- Barry closed out the first set with three consecutive points, putting NSU down in the match 1-0, as the Sharks dropped the opening set 25-22.
- After Barry won the first set, the Sharks opened the set on a 9-3 run.
- Mihacevich tallied a service ace and put the Sharks ahead 13-5 over Barry.
- Later in the set, Mihacevich and Brittany Landrum teamed up for a block and extended the NSU advantage to 18-10.
- Barry rallied back into the set, cutting the Sharks lead to 22-19.
- NSU withstood the rally by the Buccaneers, closing out the second set with a block from Landrum and Stockman, tying the match at 1-1 with a 25-21 second set win.
- Barry controlled all the momentum in the early portion of the third set, leading 11-4 over NSU.
- The Sharks rallied to cut Barry’s lead to 13-12, following a pair of kills from Lindner and three consecutive errors by the Bucs.
- Nova Southeastern took full control of the set courtesy of a 6-0 run, putting the score at 18-14.
- The Sharks closed out the third set on another lengthy run, recording five consecutive points and received a kill and a service ace from Stockman, as well as, kills from Mihacevich and Landrum
- Both the Sharks and Buccaneers traded points back-and-forth in the early moments in the fourth set, as the score sat tied at 7-7.
- Barry took a 10-8 lead over NSU, but Aniol and Mihacevich recorded kills and following a pair of Buccaneer errors, the Sharks re-tied the match at 12-12.
- Trailing by three, Nova Southeastern responded with a 3-0 run of their own, tying the match once again at 15-15.
- Nova Southeastern closed the match and earned their first SSC victory of the 2023 campaign by winning six of the final seven points, taking the fourth set 25-21 over Barry.
Head Coach Kacie Ehinger – “I’m very proud of our response after dropping the first set. We were able to settle in and performed much better in pressure situations this afternoon. Madison Cook set an absolute masterpiece of a match, getting really good looks for our pins, and it paid off as Nadia Lindner, Taylor Stockman and Kate Mihacevich all hit above .300. Varshini Panuganti had some great digs down the stretch and helped propel us to the match win.
Nadia Lindner: 19 kills
Taylor Stockman: 15 kills
Kate Mihacevich: 14 kills
Madison Cook: 50 assists
Nova Southeastern continues Sunshine State Conference action with a match against Palm Beach Atlantic on Tuesday, September 19, in West Palm Beach. First serve is set 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.
