Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (September 12, 2007) - The Nova Southeastern University volleyball program beat previously unbeaten Florida Tech 3-2 by the scores of 33-31, 27-30, 30-22, 24-30 and 15-13. The win improves the Sharks' record to 7-4 (1-0 SSC) while Florida Tech drops to 11-1 (0-1 SSC).
NSU took control of a see-saw game one late to win 33-31. The game saw 16 ties and six lead changes. In the first game NSU out-hit Florida Tech .245 to .192. Outside hitter Paola Ruiz (Fr., Rio Piedras, P.R.) led the charge, recording five kills and hustling for three digs. Outside Christina Chubb (Jr., Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) followed with four kills and three digs. Setter Valia Petrova (Jr., Sofia, Bulgaria) dished out 15 assists in the game for NSU.
Opposite Aley Tallmans (Wichita, Kan.) five kills were not enough for NSU in game two, as the Sharks fell 30-27. In a shoot-out which featured each team recording 16 kills, the Panthers led NSU in hitting .302 to .294. Middle Melinda Gorman (Jr., Sarasota, Fla.), Ruiz and Chubb each posted three kills in the game while libero Jenny Fitch (Sr., Batavia, Ill.) had six digs.
Nova Southeastern controlled game three from the beginning, winning 30-22 in a game that had no ties or lead changes. The Sharks out-hit Florida Tech .091 to .024 and had three more blocks than the opposition. Ruiz, Chubb, Petrova and Tallman had three kills, respectively, to lead NSU.
Florida Tech set the pace for game four, attaining an early lead and holding on to win 30-24. The Panthers out-hit NSU .184 to .048 with four less attack errors. Gorman led NSU with six kills in only 10 attempts.
In a tight game five, which saw six ties and three lead changes, the Sharks came back from an 13-11 deficit to record the final four points and win 15-13. NSU out-hit Florida Tech .227 to .043 and had two more total blocks in the final game. Chubb willed the Sharks to victory, landing four kills and recording one block assist.
Chubb led the Sharks with 16 kills, six digs and five blocks on the evening. Closely following Chubb in kills was Gorman with 14, Ruiz with 13 and Tallman with 10. Petrova tallied 51 assists to lead NSU in the match. Libero Kathleen Yony (Fr., Miami, Fla.) finished tied with Ruiz for the team lead in digs with 16, followed by Tallman and Fitch with 15. Middle Emily Carle (Jr., Missouri City, Tex.) contributed with nine blocks for NSU.
Mayne Pegorari led Florida Tech with 18 kills, followed by Sacha Gumbs with 13. Amanda Boyce had a match high 25 digs for the Panthers, who suffered their first loss in 12 matches.
NSU continues play at the University of North Alabama Regional Crossover on Friday, September 14th at 12:30 pm vs. Montevallo. The Sharks will also play Harding University at 4:30 pm on Friday before taking on North Alabama and Henderson State University at 11:30 am and 3:30 pm on Saturday, September 14th. The Sharks return home to host conference opponent Lynn University on Tuesday, September 18th at 7 pm in the University Center Arena.
