BOX SCORE
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern volleyball team (4-18) began the 2012 South Regional Crossover Tournament with a hard-fought five-set match, but were taken down by the West Alabama Tigers (10-12) Friday, 3-2 (20-25, 26-24, 25-21, 19-25, 15-11).
In just her fifth match as a Shark,
Tory Njardvik (Fr., Livingston, Mont.) had a career-high 13 kills on 19 total attacks.
Dana Holger (Lino Lakes, Minn.) also had a strong night, with a team-best 15 kills.
Kristina Eric (Jr., Sokolac, Bosnia and Herzegovina) led the squad with 45 kills while
Paige Boivin (Sr., Plainville, Ill.) led defensively with 22 digs.
The Sharks controlled the first set from start to finish, establishing a 10-7 lead they would never give up. West Alabama had several opportunities to tie, but The Sharks countered each time to keep the Tigers from rallying. The Sharks pulled away for their largest lead of the set at 22-16 and went on to seal the opener, 25-20.
Holger had an efficient first set, leading the team with five kills on 11 attacks. Eric was all over the court, leading the team with 12 assists and four digs.
West Alabama countered and took a lead in the second set, leading at one point, 12-4. The Sharks turned the set around, winning five of the next six points, and eventually fighting back to tie the set at 18-all. The Sharks traded the next 12 points with neither team taking control. Eventually, The Tigers took two timely points to win the second set, 26-24.
The Tigers came out strong again in the third set, establishing a quick 8-3 lead. The Tigers held their largest lead at 16-9, before the Sharks earned six of the next seven points. The Tigers regrouped out of a timeout and never let the Sharks tie the match. NSU came within one point of tying the set but eventually conceded, 25-21.
The fourth set seemed to start like the others, with West Alabama beginning with a 6-3 lead. With their backs against the wall, NSU responded with their best run of the night on seven straight points. The Sharks kept the opposition at bay and never let them come within three points. NSU’s largest lead was held at 23-15, enough for the Sharks to eventually take the fourth set, 25-19.
Boiven’s defense came through for the Sharks in the fourth, as the libero totaled a team-best seven digs.
The fifth set was a back-and-forth slugfest in which the lead exchanged multiple times over the first 15 points. The Tigers put the home team in trouble, leading 9-6, before the Sharks rattled off three-straight points to tie the set. The Tigers answered back with three-straight points of their own and went on to seal the match, 15-11.
The Sharks will continue the 2012 South Regional Crossover on Saturday with matches against North Alabama and Palm Beach Atlantic.
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