Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (August 30, 2008) - The Nova Southeastern University volleyball team split a pair of matches on day two of the Third Annual Sharks Classic in play on Saturday afternoon inside the University Center Arena. They lost to California University (PA) 3-1 (23-25, 22-25, 20-25, 21-25 in the first game before coming back to defeat University of Puerto Rico Rio-Piedras 3-0 (25-23, 25-15, 25-15). The Sharks record is now 3-1 on the season. With the first set tied 22-22, middle blocker Molly Sigerich (Fr., Downers Grove, Ill.) slammed home a kill to give the Sharks the lead. A service ace by middle Melinda Gorman (Sr., Sarasota, Fla.) and an attack error sandwiched a point for Cal. (PA) to give NSU the one set to none advantage.
The second set was also close, with eight ties and three lead changes before the Vultures came away with the 25-22 victory. Cal hit a match high .382 for the set, led by outside hitter Ludmila Admiral's eight kills.
The third set was another close one, but once again California would pull away late for the 25-20 win. Admiral led the Vultures charge, going a perfect 4-4 in attack attempts. Outside hitter Jenerra McGruder (Jr., Euless, Tx.) had a set high four kills for the Sharks.
A 25-21 victory in the fourth set sealed the win for California (PA). NSU was held to a match low .077 attack percentage in the set.
For the match, Cal out-hit NSU .275 to .188. McGruder and Gorman led NSU with 12 and 10 kills, respectively.
The Sharks rebounded to defeat University of Puerto Rico Rio-Piedras in straight sets by the scores of 25-23, 25-15, 25-15. NSU limited UPR Rio-Piedras to a .087 attack percentage in the match while hitting .284 as a team.
Gorman led the Sharks with 10 kills, followed by middle Emily Carles (Sr., Missouri City, Tx.) nine kills. Setter Valia Petrova (Sr., Sofia, Bulgaria) had 27 assists and nine digs.
NSU will travel to Romeoville, IL to participate in four matches in the Lewis University volleyball tournament. The Sharks will play two matches on Friday, September 5th, followed by two more matches on Saturday, September 6th.
