Box Score

Melbourne, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University volleyball team (5-7 overall, 2-2 SSC) fought to win in five as the Sharks downed the Florida Tech Panthers, 3-2, Saturday afternoon in the Clemente Center.

“The thing about tonight was it was a growing experience for us and they took ownership for the first time this season,” said head coach Steve Wilcosky. “I guess we were giving them information overload so the coaching staff and I took a step back and said, “Ladies if you want to win this game, it's on you.”

Although the Panthers (5-8 overall, 0-4 SSC) had more kills than the Sharks at 62-57, NSU is now 2-0 in fifth sets. The eight team blocks is the best by the Sharks in the young season.

Senior Paola Ruiz (Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico) tied a match high with 16 kills and served two aces. Sophomore Danielle Graham (Cincinnati, Ohio) added 15 kills hitting .393 on the night. Jordan Pappas (So., Naperville, Ill.) added 48 assists.

“Danielle did a great job hitting very efficiently tonight,” said Wilcosky. “The slide worked great because the timing between Jordan and Danielle was great. I was very proud of her and stepping up and demanding the ball more. When she is on fire, she is hard to stop.”

Molly Sigerich (Jr., Downers Grove, Ill.) added four block solos and one block assist to secure the sixth spot as the all-time leader in blocks with 205.

“Molly is becoming one of the leaders on the team,” said Wilcosky. “It is nice to see different people stepping up in different situations and Molly is doing a nice job in that role.”

After going down 4-0 early in the first set, Ruiz hammered four straight kills to even the score. Rachel Woodson (So., Rogers, Ark.) would then also even the score at 5-5 with a ball hit within the 10-ft line. Ruiz would serve an ace to give NSU its first lead of the set.

Being down by two at 14-12, the Sharks capitalized on a few Panther errors to take a point lead.

The Sharks could not hold the lead as Florida Tech took a tight first set, 25-23 holding the Sharks to a .154 hitting percentage.

In set two, the Sharks came out on fire scoring four straight points, lead by Pappas who had back-to-back aces in the run.

After a kill by Anabely Escarpita (Jr., Boca Raton, Fla.), Florida Tech's head coach, Erin Lee, was force to call a timeout after the Sharks took a commanding 7-1 lead.

At 10-4, Graham hit a ball hard down the line that Panther libero, Ashley Bryant, was unable to handle and was knocked off her feet.

Although Florida Tech fought back even pulling the score within one at 22-21, the Sharks rallied past the Panthers in the second set to win 25-22 and even the match at 1-1.

In set three, the Sharks did not put an offensive threat together only hitting .091 and falling 25-16.

Heading into the fourth set, the Sharks kept the set close pulling within one with a Woodson kill down the line at 6-5. Ruiz evened the score, 7-7, on a tip off the Panther block. She then gave the Sharks its first lead of the set on a hard kill between the block.

Woodson and Graham teamed up together for a big block to assist the Sharks to a 17-14 lead. A solo block by Panthers' Janelle Branch evened the score at 18, having Wilcosky to use his first timeout of the set. The strategic moved worked as the Panthers served the ball right in the middle of the net to give the Sharks back the lead.

Ruiz used a set off the net to extend the Sharks lead by two, 23-21, but the Panthers did not back down as a Florida Tech kill pulled them within one in the important fourth set. An ace by Panthers' Erin Hughes and a Sharks hitting error gave Florida Tech match point.

A huge service error by Florida Tech and a block by Woodson and Graham gave NSU the 25-24 lead. Fighting back, the Panthers once again evened the score but Grahams' kill put the score in the Sharks favor.

Continuing to go and forth, a great hustle play by Paige Boivin kept the ball in play as it allowed Graham to get the kill and win the fourth set, 28-26.

“Paige's play was one of those unsung hero type of plays,” said Wilcosky. “The end of it and the fight as the team was down a couple of times to Florida Tech at set point shows the fight the team and was a defining moment in the game.”

Graham would get the Sharks on the board first in the fifth set finding the open floor. Escarpita would get her ninth kill of the match extending NSU's lead 5-2.

As the Panthers went on a 3-0 run, Woodson ended it with a kill to continue the Sharks lead at 9-5. Grahams' two kills in three plays forced Florida Tech to call a timeout as NSU furthered its lead, 11-6.

Graham and Pappas put up the Sharks eighth block of the day and Escarpita served her first ace to give the Sharks a 13-6 lead. At match point, the Panthers tried to continue play but a Sigerich kill gave the Sharks the set, 15-9.

It was the first time in the 2010 season that the Sharks have won a match after being down the first set.

The Sharks will remain on the road as they continue SSC play as they take on Rollins at 7 p.m. before heading to Florida Southern on Saturday for a 4 p.m. match time.