BOX SCORE
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern volleyball team (4-16, 1-6 SSC) were on the wrong end of a close four-set match on the road against the Florida Southern Mocs (14-7, 5-3 SSC), taking a 3-1 loss Friday.
Freshmen shined in the match, as
Caitlin Donahue (Miami, Fla.) earned a team-high 12 kills on 30 attack attempts. Donahue also registered a solo block and two block assists in Lakeland, Fla.
Sydney Cook (Miami, Fla.) and
Dana Holger (Lino Lakes, Fla.) followed suit with 10 kills apiece.
Kristina Eric (Jr., Sokolac, Bosnia and Herzegovina) returned from a five-match absence to record 39 assists.
Paige Boivin (Sr., Plainfield, Ill.) led the Sharks defensively with 25 digs, five short of her career-high, while Holger followed behind with 18 of her own.
The Mocs established themselves out the gate by taking an early 9-3 lead in the first set. NSU made the set competitive by battling back to tie the set at 11. However, the Mocs outscored the Sharks down the stretch, 14-7, to seal the set.
The Sharks bounced back immediately to even the score at a set apiece. The Sharks came out strong and established an 8-3 lead before Florida Southern tied it, once again, at 11 points. NSU kept the home team at bay and did not give up the lead over the next 18 plays. When Florida Southern gained their first lead of the set at 21-20, the Sharks closed strong by taking five of the next six points, a stretch that including two kills from Holger.
The momentum was in favor of the Sharks, with the road team controlling most of the third set. NSU held several three-point leads in the set and eventually had their biggest lead at 22-18. However, NSU would give up the lead by allowing Florida Southern to take six of the next seven points. The Sharks would earn one more point on a service error before the Mocs ended the third set on two-straight kills to win, 26-24.
The third-set loss put the Sharks in a hole they could not dig out of. In the fourth set, Florida Southern controlled the action from the start and established a 12-4 lead. From then on, the Mocs never trailed by more than six points and had their first double-digit lead at 19-9. They would win the set by 10 points to seal the victory, 3-1.
NSU will look to rebound in less than 24 hours, as the Sharks travel to Saint Leo Saturday at 4 p.m.
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