Saint Leo, Fla. (October 28, 2006) - The Nova Southeastern University volleyball squad split a pair of weekend conference matches on the road in action this weekend. On Friday night, the Sharks dominated action versus Florida Tech, winning in three games by the scores of 30-20, 30-17, and 30-21. On Saturday afternoon, NSU was defeated by Saint Leo in three games by the scores of 30-26, 30-28, and 30-23. Nova Southeastern currently stands at 11-18 overall and 3-11 in Sunshine State Conference play.

On Friday night in Melbourne, Fla. the Sharks played one of their most complete matches in disposing of the Florida Tech Panthers. In the impressive performance, the team hit for their second highest attack percentage of the season at .367. Senior right-side Karla Ortiz (Miami, Fla.) punished the Panthers all night, finishing with 14 kills in 22 attempts for a .591 attack percentage. Sophomore outside Melinda Gorman (Sarasota, Fla.) also registered 14 kills and hit .423 for the match. Senior setter Megan Johansen (Arlington, Neb.) had a match high 41 assists while senior libero Itza Miranda (Toa Baja, Puerto Rico) posted a match high 13 digs for the Sharks.

For the match, the Sharks out-hit the Panthers .367 to .078 and out-blocked FIT nine to three. NSU had 70 points to only 37 for Florida Tech in the rout.

On Saturday afternoon in Saint Leo, Fla. the visitors dropped a tough three game match to the Lions. Gorman and Ortiz tied for the team lead with nine kills apiece. Sophomore middle blocker Emily Carle (Missouri City, Texas) led the team by hitting .286 with seven kills. Miranda once again had a match high with 11 digs. Freshman middle blocker Kaitlyn McNeil (Wichita, Kansas) also recorded a match high with eight blocks.

For the match, Saint Leo out-hit the Sharks .212 to .118 while NSU out-blocked the Lions 11 to 10.

NSU travels to Boca Raton, Fla. on Wednesday, November 1st to face off against Lynn University at 7 p.m. The Sharks return home to the University Center on Saturday, November 4th at 1 p.m. vs. Barry University to wrap up the regular season.

Tickets for all 2006 home volleyball matches are available at the University Center Box Office or online through Ticketmaster.