BOX SCORE

SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern volleyball team (4-16, 1-8 SSC) played an exceptional match defensively, but fell on the road at Saint Leo Tuesday, 3-1 (25-21, 24-26, 25-9, 25-17).
 
In the opening stages of the first set, both squads struggled to find an offensive rhythm, committing four errors apiece to tie the match, 4-4. The Lions used a kill from Lauren Campbell to cap a three-point streak before a service error and a Molly Sigerich (Sr., Downers Grove, Ill.) kill got the Sharks back within one.
 
Saint Leo was able to create multiple four-point leads at different times in the middle of the first set, but the Sharks continued to respond. Danielle Graham (Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio) tallied three kills and Jordan Pappas (Jr., Naperville, Ill.) added another to bring the Sharks within three each time the Lions began to pull away.
 
Late in the opening set with the Lions up four again, 23-19, it was Graham on defensive attempting to spark a Sharks comeback with a solo block. Unfortunately, the Lions were able to capture the set, 25-21, with a Danielle Bletso kill.
 
The Lions jumped out early in the second set, building a 9-4 advantage on the Sharks. NSU clawed its way back into the set though, reeling off four consecutive scores. Graham began the streak with another kill, followed by back-to-back blocks (Sigerich/Pappas and Sigerich/Escarpita), before Sigerich capped the momentum shift with a slam of her own.
 
The Sharks continued to rally and knotted the score, 12-12, with another block from Sigerich and Kristina Eric (So., Bosnia) and another kill from the senior Sigerich. Coupled with a slew of Lions attack errors, Lauren Lewkowicz (Fr., Coral Springs, Fla.) registered her first kill of the match to put the Sharks ahead, 15-14, bringing a timeout from the Saint Leo bench.
 
The two teams continued to trade points after the break in play with Pappas and Graham pairing for yet another Sharks block to even the score at 24-24. A Pappas kill gave the Sharks the lead before Graham and Lauren Lewkowicz (Jr., Rogers, Ark.) teamed up to clinch the set, 26-24, with NSU’s seventh block of the match, evening the sets won, 1-1.
 
The change of sides seemed to give the Saint Leo attackers a measure of confidence, as the Lions claimed the first eight points of the set, scoring seven kills. Anabely Escarpita (Sr., Boca Raton, Fla.) would tally a pair of kills for the Sharks, while Graham and Eric would combine for another block, but the Lions powered through the third set, 25-9, attacking at a .517 clip.
 
The fourth set was a much closer affair early on, as Lions led by only one, 7-6, following a Graham kill, Kelly McMahon (Jr., Madison, Wis.) service ace and a Pappas kills for the Sharks. Saint Leo found its stride again though, opening a nine-point lead, 23-14, behind consecutive services aces from Campbell.
 
Four Saint Leo attackers reached double-digit kill marks with Emily Calderon-Reyes and Tawni Warren securing a match-high 15, Campbell notching 14 and Bletso 12. Graham paced the Sharks with 14 kills of her own to go with three blocking assists and one solo block. NSU as a team out-blocked the Lions, nine to seven.

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